Eien no Ryu Ken: Dragon's Blades
by Yronhand
Summary: AU Post-Seissouhen: The mystery surrounding Mizushin Junzo is swept away somewhat, and here are answers to the questions. Chp 6. Updated.
1. Prologue: Cherry Blossoms after the Nigh...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this fic, aside from original characters and techniques/styles invented for the sole purpose of this fic. 

**Note: **This fic is AU and begins from the end of the Seissou Hen, and involves elements of established fantasy genres.

Prologue: Cherry Blossoms after the Night Sky 

            A star filled sky resplendently displayed its celestial glory to the world, the wonders of its beauty awesome and inspiring. A shooting star flashed across the darkness of space, observed by some people, admiring its pale trail. Under the same wondrous night sky, a lone wanderer sat in the midst of a small, forested place, not far from the well-traveled road that led to Tokyo. The cloaked figure delicately held the small cup in his hand, tasting the tea and letting it warm himself. On his lap rested a weapon whose use was outlawed by the Meiji government, save for the police and some exceptions, or for bandits and thieves. Mizushin Junzo was in no way a thief, nor was he an officer of the law, or one of those special exceptions which the government, local or not, recognized. He was merely one of the traveling swordsmen who walked across Japan, searching. Searching.

And finding things he never particularly wanted to know.

Junzo blinked, silver-blue eyes seemingly as cold as steel, as blue as a cloudless sky on a summer's day. The pale moon above was barely reflected in his tea, the small campfire much more bright than the distant celestial body. Life was never easy, he reflected. In the morning, he would reach Tokyo, and his search for a man would end. And a new journey in his life would begin, one he never thought would have been, not in a thousand years. A faint smile attempted to pass on his lips, but miserably failed. _Why is this happening? The veils are breaking, but why now?_ He sighed and put the teacup to his lips, tasting the bitter liquid, feeling it warm his insides. He calmed down a bit more, and decided to try and sleep. In the morning, he would finish this leg of the journey and get the help he…no, everyone, unwittingly, needed. He almost laughed in his situation. _Things like these happen so often in legends, myths, and fairy tales. But I am no hero, no._ He breathed in deeply and murmured. "I am not, but there are those who are."

The day's sunlight caressed his cloak as he walked down the pathway that led to the Kamiya Kasshin dojo. It had taken him little time to ask around and find the person he was looking for, as seemingly popular as he was here. Junzo sighed, and took a look around. Again, he had walked past everything and was again on the outskirts of Tokyo. He turned around and closed his eyes walking back again into Tokyo. A few moments later, and thanks to a few helpful locals, he finally managed to get on the path towards the dojo. The dojo appeared at the end of the roadway, and a mild expression flickered on Junzo's face. He approached the wooden doors of the place, pausing in front of it to knock. His lightly tapped on the doorways, which to his surprise and suspicion, swung open. _Nani yo?_ He frowned and cautiously entered the dojo. The petals of cherry blossoms flew lightly past his face. He felt nothing here, no acute feeling of danger, but rather, an aura of melancholy. He tentatively raised his hand to try and catch a petal, when he heard a soft sob.

"Shinta…"

"What?" Junzo looked to the side, and underneath a cherry blossom tree a woman cradled a man in her arms. A redheaded man, with the last traces of a scar fading away on his face. Junzo's breath caught in his throat. _Iie..Iie!_  _Mada…nai._ _I won't let this happen, not yet!_  He dropped his hand to his side and he rushed forth to where the couple lay. He dropped to the ground as he slid to a stop beside them. The woman looked at him with a peculiar gaze, barely noticing him, then looked down at the man. _Chiku so…_

The darkness was obstinate, stifling Kenshin. He probed at it touching it, feeling it part but yet he was still going nowhere. _Where am I? I'm dead already aren't I? Is this hell? _He sat down on the darkness, the shadowy environment enveloping him. He closed his eyes and breathed. A light smile flickered on his lip. Breathe? Did he even still need to breathe, he thought.

_Thud._

His eyes flashed open, a hand reaching for the sabakatou that had graced his side for so many years, to find nothing. _Indeed, I am dead…_ He sighed, shaking his head, and once again closed his eyes.

_Thud, thud._

The faint sound was quickening, he determined. It was better than eternal darkness all around, at least there was a sound now. He never thought hell would be so…boring. He'd thought that he'd see something around at least. A shudder went through him, and he gasped. _What is this?_ He slapped his face, trying to recompose himself.

_Kenshin…Shinta!_

"Leave me be…let me sleep."

A flash of light crossed his vision. "Oro?" He blinked, and found himself lying on the floor. His violet eyes gazed down on the wooden floor of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo. _Nani?_ He slowly got up, and looked around. It was indeed the dojo. But he remembered dying in Kaoru's arms, to go and sleep forever. _Unless…_ He grimaced and muttered. "Why is Kaoru's dojo hell?" A sudden pain blossomed from his back, eliciting his face to contort in pain again. He spun around to point an accusing finger at his tormentor.

"Konnichi wa, watashi no shujin." A cheerful Kaoru greeted her husband of over a decade of marriage. She stepped closer to him, as an expression of extreme confusion swept over his face. Kaoru smiled and softly laughed, touching his face softly.

"O-o-oro?!" He blinked and rubbed his eyes. _I must be dead…or having a very weird dream. But, I'm dead, right?_ "Kaoru, why do you look so young? Aren't you old also?"

A spark of irritation flickered on her face. A spark that Kenshin has not seen in many years. A spark that filled his heart with dread. _This **is** hell…_

A loud crashing sound emanated from the background. Junzo shook his head, and sipped his tea. "Perhaps I should not have rejuvenated Himura's wife until he had fully recovered, in a day or two more of resting." The sounds of hurriedly spoken pleads of forgiveness reached his ears. The replying sounds that reached his ears told his that for the mean time, those pleas had fallen of deaf ears. He winced as a particularly loud thump reverberated through the house. _In a few seconds now…_

From the rooms, Kaoru popped out. "Junzo-san, could you come here please?"

"Yare, yare…" He put the teacup down and pushed himself away from the small table. Brushing the wrinkles from his gi and hakama, he stood up and walked off to where Kaoru was innocently smiling. He slid the shoji open. The sight that greeted him caused the veins in his head to pulsate visibly for a few moments, though nothing was seen in his expression. _I should have not revitalized her yet. This is pitiful._ With a sigh, he set to work on disentangling Himura Kenshin from the sheets and futon.

**Glossary:**

"Watashi no Shujin"        : My Husband (spoken by wife)

"Konnichi wa"                 : Good Morning

"Mada…nai"                   : Not yet

"Chiku so"                     : General curse-word; Damn it


	2. Rising from the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this fic, aside from original characters and techniques/styles invented for the sole purpose of this fic. The elven language used in this fic was made by the Grey Company. 

**Note: **This fic is AU and begins from the end of the Seissou Hen, and involves elements of established fantasy genres. Boring aren't I? You don't really want me to go all freaky do you? J Anyway, read and review, minna.

Rising from the Past 

"Arigatou, Mizushin-san. I can not express well enough my gratitude for what you've done for me, and for my beloved Kaoru de gozaru yo" Kenshin smiled amiably, bowing as his said his thanks.

Junzo waved off the bow. "Please, Himura-san, you need not bow, I'm not worthy of such high respect. Please, get up. Oh, and do call me Junzo, I'm not one for much formalities." 

Kenshin straightened from his slight bow, halted by Junzo's immediate reaction to what he was going to do. "Very well then, Junzo-san de gozaru yo." Seeing the discomfort at that, Kenshin chuckled. "I see, you truly do not like any formalities. Junzo then. As for me, call me Kenshin, for I care not for the formalities either." A slight sound announced the arrival of Kaoru. A smile crossed Kenshin's lips as she set down tea in between the two. After a few moments, she sat beside Kenshin, greeting their new visitor with a smile. Kenshin placed a hand on her lap, which she covered with her own. After a few moments of silence, Kenshin turned to Junzo with, questions and some confusion in his eyes. "Junzo-san. I mean, Junzo, I think you know what question I want to ask, neh?"

The man across the red-haired former hitikiri, no, former rurouni, merely smiled sadly. "_I'selu._" Kenshin and Kaoru both looked at him with a peculiar gaze, uncomprehending. Junzo realized what he'd said and smiled sheepishly. He sipped his tea then placed it down. Placing his hands on his lap, he translated what he had previously said. " I'm sorry, I forget that you do not understand. I've been away from Japan for…quite a while." He paused as he said the latter part of his sentence. He cleared his throat with a soft cough before continuing. " As you asked me, how did I, ah…cure, you, I said _i'selu right? The word __i'selu means, 'The magic arts'." Surprise flashed on their faces as expected. He sensed Kenshin grow tense. "Perhaps it would be better if I explain this all from the start?"_

Kenshin nodded, a serious air about him. "Please do, for I don't understand how you managed to heal my…condition."

Junzo nodded and began his story. "A few years ago, I was just like you were in your younger days. A rurouni, a wanderer with ideals of the new era. It so happened that one night, I took shelter in a cave, near the place where Himura Kenshin had been rumored to have defeated Makoto Shishio the leader of the Juppon Gatana, who died a fiery death. In that cave, as I slept, I had many dreams, disturbing me. Dreams of other worlds, many of worlds with magic, a few of worlds that seemed to be future versions of our own. I dreamed that I saw the gates of Heaven, and the misty darkness of Hell, or the Underworld." Junzo blinked, the floods of dreams slowly returning to memory. Shakily, he took the teacup and sipped it, calming him down. "Sorry."

Kenshin sensed the man's unease, his discomfort. "If you don not wish to finish this morning with your…tale, we could continue later, this afternoon."

Junzo shook his head. "No, better now than later. As perhaps, you and Kaoru-san may be able to explain to your friends how you became…as you are now." Kenshin nodded, and with a look at Kaoru, she nodded as well. With that, Junzo continued. "I woke up from those dreams, terrifying, wonderful, all strange and unique in their own way. In that cave, when I awoke, I saw a dim glow emanating from within its depths. I did not survive the trials of the post-Bakumatsu era, before the Meiji government managed to finally assert its control, without learning caution. I took with me my katana and sakabatou-wakizashi, and crept slowly deeper into the cavern. What met my investigation was a glowing portal, much like a body of water, a pond. Only, it was standing up, and it glowed with unseen power. The things I felt when I drew near it were not malevolent, nor were they enlightening or uplifting. Rather, I felt serene and calm, peaceful.

"Those feelings helped wash away the terrors I felt when I experienced those dreams. Curious, I touched the portal, which unbeknownst to me was a gateway between worlds. Accidentally, I slipped through that gateway, and traveled to another dimension, another world. I spent some years there, perhaps three or four, enough to learn the arts of magic, of healing mostly. It was in my fourth year when I was compelled to return, due to circumstances. A dark man had amassed a massive army there, and his evil horde was slowly taking over the lands. His name was Makoto Shishio." Junzo looked up at Kenshin, and the amazement on his, and Kaoru's face was evident. "I could not believe it either, but then I remembered, magic. Magic is a powerful tool, and in that world there were evil magic-users called necromancers, who summoned the spirits of the evil dead, or the newly dead, evil or not. The necromancers would bind these spirits into corpses, and force them to obey them. However, Makoto Shishio was just waiting for such a chance, since he had learned much in his few years in the Underworld. For you see, the Underworld is shared by all the other worlds of life, like this. All the 'evil' spirits go there, imprisoned, while all the 'good' ones are left free to wander, though their true home was 'Heaven'.

"In any case, Shishio and his immense will managed to break free, and he took over the necromancer's body. Using the necromancer's power, he managed to recreate his former body, the one of this world. With magic by his side, he resurrected the Juppon Gatana there, bringing along with him Unouma Usui, his woman, Yumi, and his right hand, Hoji. Many of the former Bakumatsu warriors were slowly brought forth, for after a year after his 'summoning', he saw that the general level of combat expertise in that world was lower than of this one. With an army of undead forged from the spirits of the Bakumatsu along with others who joined him and his rising power he was proving unstoppable. I was the only one from this world to realize that only the warriors of this world could stop him. Since the 'good' spirits were forbidden to intervene any more than giving wisdom to the forces that fought against Shishio, that meant that only the living warriors of this world could stop him. I know that I could not hope to defeat him without allies of skill, allies that can only be found here. So, I returned, with a special gift from the elves, a people of great magical power, to bring from Earth the best warriors I could find, and halt Shishio."

By the time Junzo had ended his tale, Kenshin and Kaoru stared at him with disbelief. It was unbelievable, they knew. Yet, this fanciful story could explain why he was here, and why they were healed. Even Megumi-san had said that Kenshin and Kaoru's sickness was incurable, and she was an expert doctor. How else, but though magic, could he have healed them? Even more evidence to this power, was that how else could Kenshin and Kaoru have seemed to have gotten _younger? With that in mind, they could not disregard his story as delusions. Kenshin was the one who recovered first, and broke the momentary silence with a question. "This special gift of magic from these…elves. What was it?" Kenshin asked, already guessing the answer._

Junzo was silent for a while before he spoke. "With the intervention of Heaven, and the benevolent spirits, the elves had given me the magic to bequeath the gift of youth upon people." Kenshin nodded, his guess quite close to what Junzo had answered. "However, I can only bequeath this gift to a certain number of people, and the effects are not all the same. This changes from person to person, as you can see by yourselves. Kenshin has de-aged slightly more than you have, Kaoru, though the difference is only by two years or three. Also, your minds remain exactly the same as you were, even if your brains themselves are physically younger. Do you follow me?"

Kenshin nodded. "I do. Now, how many people can you give this gift of youth to?"

Junzo frowned and slumped slightly, deep in thought. "This world's magic has not been used by any major powers for centuries. Thanks to that, I suppose I could rejuvenate around, twenty people or so? Perhaps more, perhaps less. I'm not too sure, since this is the first time I've used magic in this world, or such strong spells for that matter."

Kenshin nodded, becoming silent. Though Kaoru and Junzo began to speak, Kaoru asking questions and Junzo answering her inquiries, Kenshin didn't really listen. _Makoto Shishio…even when you are dead, you haunt me from another place. In his heart, Kenshin knew why Junzo had come here, why he had empowered youth onto Kenshin. __He needs…no, wants, my help. But if I use Hitten Mitsurugi Ryu again, it will drain my body once more, and I will die like I nearly did, not a short while ago. Or was it yesterday? He sighed. He knew that he could not risk that, not again. Surely, he could get some others, like Sanosuke perhaps, or even Yahiko, as grown up as the Tokyo Samurai was now. Kenshin pondered this, and mentally agreed with himself. __Someone else. Even if I have been...given youth, I can't go. A name in Junzo and Kaoru's conversation caught his ear. __Kenji…_

Kaoru and Junzo's conversation was more on comparison of the other world now and this one. She believed him, as Kenshin himself did of what this young man had told them. After all, they_ were younger now, and there was no denying it. Also, that mysterious wasting disease was completely gone, yet another testament for Junzo's tale. But he had responsibilities here, and he wouldn't risk his life yet again, and throw away his time to intervene in the struggles of another world's fate. Surely, there would be others who could help. With that in mind, he made his decision. He patiently waited for a pause in his wife and the young rurouni's conversation. In a few moments his patience was rewarded, and he spoke. "Junzo, I would like to cut straight to the point. You said only this world's warriors could match Shishio and his men, correct?" Junzo nodded. Kenshin continued. "Therefore, you have come to recruit the best fighters you knew of. You have come here, to my home, seeking me. Himura Kenshin, once known as the first Hitokiri Battousai, you've come seeking my aid." _

Junzo nodded. "Yes, I have."

Kenshin sighed, a look of contemplation on his face. He turned to Kaoru, meeting her eyes. In her gaze, he saw her worry, and in those dark orbs he saw his son Kenji. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and shook his head. "I am sorry, Mizushin Junzo. I will not go with you." Facing his wife, and his eyes closed, only Kaoru saw the expression of sadness, perhaps despair, that crossed Junzo's face. She smiled sadly at his expression, knowing in part what he felt. The silence grew thick, before Kaoru slowly stood, taking the teacups and the pot with her to the kitchen. The few sounds that accompanied her departure only served to deepen the silence that followed afterwards. Kenshin kept silent, waiting for Junzo to react. He knew that Junzo was expecting him to say yes, and go with him. But he could not leave Kaoru and his son, not now, after all these years. He saw Junzo sigh and a stoic mask of calm appear on his face. He looked so much like Aoshi like that, especially with the blue eyes, Kenshin mused.

"I thank you for your hospitality, Himura-san, as short as it was."

Kenshin nodded. "You need not leave just yet, Junzo-san." 

Junzo blinked at the words, a tight smile flickering across his lips. "Kenshin, please, just Junzo." 

The redhead nodded, smiling. "As you wish, Junzo. As I was saying, you do not need to leave just yet. Please stay with us a few more days, I'm sure that Kaoru would love to speak with you some more. Also, I may have some friends who may help you. I shall write to them, requesting them to come here. Maybe they could help you, as much as I could have had I decided to go with you." 

The young man in front of Kenshin nodded. The faint smile flickering on his face once again. "Very well, Kenshin, if you wish I could stay here a short while longer. But in time, I will need to leave, to return to…" The man abruptly stopped, a frown appearing on his face.

"Junzo, what is wrong?"

The man motioned for Kenshin to keep quiet, which the older man complied with. Kenshin wondered what Junzo was doing, a feeling of unease growing in his heart. Suddenly, Junzo hands flashed towards his weapons. He threw the sabakatou-wakizashi towards Kenshin, who caught it as it descended towards him. "Go to your wife!" Junzo barked at him, confusion running across Kenshin's face. _What? He had no time to think any more as a dark shadow crashed through the thin walls of the dojo, the humanoid figure lashing out at Junzo with its claws. As Kenshin jumped up to find his wife, Junzo performed a flawless battou-jutsu, slashing the black-clad figure across the chest. An inhuman scream emanated from it, and it crashed onto the floor, clutching the gaping wound. Just before Kenshin ran out of the room, he thought he saw two more shadows move to attack Junzo._

Kenshin slid to a stop in front of the kitchen entrance, expecting the worst. To his surprise, Kaoru wasn't even there, with no signs of a struggle anywhere. _Where is she? To the side, her voice called out to him. "Kenshin? What happened, I heard a scream?" He turned to see her running towards him, a small first-aid kit in hand. __That was good thinking. He reflected, despite the situation. He flashed a worried smile at her, his hands still clutching the sabakatou. He took a step towards her, and then saw the flash of fear in her eyes. __No! He knew that one of those things was behind him, and that he was going to suffer for his carelessness. He spun around as quickly as he could, drawing Junzo's sword out to try and block the creature's claws. As he turned, he saw from the proximity of the thing's claws and from its speed that he probably would not be able to block it in time._

He closed his eyes. _If I swing now, it may wound the creature, and give Junzo enough time to come here. He decided to do so, rather than risk the chance of not being able to block the blow. A splash of blood drenched his face and his clothes. He didn't feel anything as he toppled backwards, falling towards the floor. His eyes opened to see Junzo arrive, blade out from another battou-jutsu attack, then immediately from there attack the creature. It was dead from decapitation before Kenshin hit the floor, pain blossoming up from his rear. He wheezed, expecting blood to accompany it. To his mild surprise, there was none. The blood, though it soaked his gi and face, was not his. It stank too much to be any human's, he thought, as Kaoru helped him take his top off, wiping as much blood off as she could._

"I owe you my life again, Junzo-san." He gasped as Kaoru touched his neck, a few small lines of blood there still flowing from the nearly lethal blow.

"Why did you hesitate from using Hitten Mitsurugi Ryu? With the incredible super-speed of its attacks you could have been able to stop the shadowfang from harming you. Before you decided to use it, you hesitated." Kenshin kept silent, knowing that Junzo's words were true. "Tell me Himura-san, I need to know."

Kenshin blinked his eyes. _Should I tell him? A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "You owe him your life, not once but twice." Kaoru whispered to Kenshin. "I owe him my life as well. Tell him, Ken-san." Taking in a deep breath, he nodded and faced Junzo._

"I did not want to use Hitten Mitsurugi Ryu, for the main reason being that…it gave me the wasting disease."

Junzo nodded, keeping quiet. _So, Hitten Mitsurugi does tap into the spirit of one's being. Just like mine, Kenshin's style draws upon the spirit of the body. He looked back at Kenshin, and thought it over. _How can't they? The two sword-arts are virtually brothers, the light and the shadows, two faces of the same coin. _Junzo smiled wistfully. _He doesn't know how to stop its draining effect though, the energy it takes from one's body._ He looked at Kenshin, staring into the other man's eyes. He saw the fire long hidden within, unused for so long. "You want to be free of it? Don't you?" Kenshin nodded. Junzo shrugged. "Truly, do you wish to be free of Hitten Mitsurugi, or just free of the strain it places upon your body? What if I could help you with that, help you learn how to be free from the draining effect Hitten Mitsurugi has on you, would you join me?"_

A wistful smile appeared on Kenshin's lips. "Those things, they are from the other world, yes?" Junzo nodded. "Shishio Makoto can come here, can't he?" The look in Junzo's eyes told him all he wished to know. "I thought that his hands would not reach me here, hence my declination previously. But, there's no other way to stop him, is there?"

"He must be killed, yet once more. Once that is done, the magic of worlds will seal him in the Underworld, once and for all."

"All right then, teach me how to stop Hitten Mitsurugi Ryu from draining my body." Kenshin stood up slowly, supported by Kaoru. Junzo frowned at this and looked down.

"No…"

"What? Stop playing around with Kenshin, Junzo!" Kaoru frowned, scolding him. "Or were you just lying to him, and trying to trick him into following you." She moved in front of her husband protectively. "I won't let you make him go with you, only to…" Kenshin put his hand on her shoulder, quieting her.

He shook his head at Kaoru. "Iie, Kaoro, my dear. Junzo-san does not lie about this. I can sense it in his words, in his eyes." Lavender orbs stared purposefully into metallic blue. "He wants to know, if I'm worth bringing along as a fighter." Junzo nodded, confirming Kenshin's suspicions. "Later then, this afternoon." He tossed Junzo's sabakatou back to him. "I need my weapon back, if only for a while, don't I, Yahiko?" Kenshin slowly turned to find the young man standing in the dojo entrance, mouth agape at the sight of the dead shadowfang at the three's feet. 

Glossary 

Most of the terms I've used up there are common terms/words, so no glossary this time.

Thanks/ End Notes 

In here I'll be writing my appreciation to readers who have contributed to the making of this fic. Even if you're not personally mentioned here, it doesn't mean I've forgotten you! First, I would like to thank **Sherry** and **SMDSP** for being the first people to have reviewed my story! If you have anything to say, please do. Arigatou!

If a chapter seems to be lacking in quality, or it seems to be going too fast, pls. Tell me, and I'll see what may be done. If it merits it, I'll even re-edit a chapter! Oh yes, and by the way, I've asked a friend to work on a drawing on Mizushin Junzo, so if you want to see how he looks (more or less) I'll be posting it up on my website, when its done.


	3. Gathering the Light

Disclaimer: RK is not mine; anything else is mine, which means that Junzo and everything directly related to his character is mine, so back off. ^_^ 

**Note: This fic is AU and begins from the end of the Seissou Hen, and involves elements of established fantasy genres. **

Gathering the Light 

With Yahiko's unexpected arrival, sans Kenji who had disappeared somewhere in Tokyo walking around with what Yahiko called "Kenji's Lady", Kenshin and Junzo had thought again about Junzo's struggle, and his quest to bring together the finest fighters he could. After cleaning up the mess and burning the beasts, Junzo's explanation astounded the young man, on which Kaoru laughed at him on more than one instance, chortling at the youthful fighter's wide-open eyes. Junzo finished with an, "and that's the story so far."

Yahiko frowned at the man disbelieving. But the all-apparent evidence of Kaoru and Kenshin's full recovery from their illness was solid proof of his story. And indeed, they did look a lot younger than the last time Yahiko saw them, which was in Kaoru's case, not too long ago. He shook his head with a nervous smile. "So, there really is such magic in this world eh? I'm glad you helped Kenshin and Kaoru get better from their sickness. And I suppose it's for the better that you made Kenshin younger again." A grin threatened to break his face. "I'd like to thank you most importantly for making Kaoru here Busu again."

Kaoru was nodding amiably at Yahiko's words, and even smiling as he began the sentence in which he was speaking about her. "I'm glad you've learned—" She paused before finishing her sentence. The former shihondai blinked her eyes, and turned to look at her former student smiling unabashedly at her.  Kenshin just ever so slowly creept away, making meaningful motions with his eyes at Junzo for them to leave.

_Yahikooo…why did you have to say that __now? Kenshin kept the pleasant, rurouni look on his face all the while as he slowly made his exit. By now Junzo had noticed the flash in Kaoru's eyes, and the barely contained laughter of Myojin Yahiko. Recalling the episode earlier in the day, when he had to untangle an unconscious husband from a futon, he made his may out of the room as well. "I, ah, need some air." Junzo mumbled, not used to the more inconspicuous methods that the rurouni had used to leave. _

As he slid the shoji shut behind him, leaving Yahiko with his former instructor in Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, he could just make out Yahiko's voice. "What, you too old to process what I said, busu? Maybe Junzo's de-aging trick didn't work on your head like it did your physical appearance, eh, busu?"

Junzo quickly left the immediate area, to find Kenshin near the primary dojo's entrance, where the students of Kamiya Kasshin trained during the day. He sat down beside the former rurouni, noticing Kenshin's contemplative look. "Why did we leave Kaoru and Yahiko-kun back there?"

Kenshin smiled and shook his head. "Yahiko used to call my wife Busu, back when he was younger, as an adolescent. It was his name for her, you could say."

Junzo nodded. "A pet name then, so to speak? But that still doesn't explain why we left."

Kenshin chuckled. "It has been so long since Yahiko has called her that, that it is probably hitting her right about now…"

At that point, Junzo could hear the laughter of a young man, and the screams of a woman. Suddenly, Yahiko skid to a stop in front of the two men, a grin on his face. Kenshin sighed, shaking his head. "It finally hit her."

From around the corner, Kaoru slid to a stop as well, though she was dressed in her old training hakama and gi, rather than the kimono she had worn just a few moments ago. Yahiko saw he and thumbed his nose at her, chanting "Busu! Old busu!", and laughing. From her back she produced her old bokken.

"Busu eh?" She muttered, an evil grin on her face. She raised the wooden sword and proceeded to chase a laughing former student, who was now shihondai of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo. The thwack of a bokken on something that seemed to be significantly more sensitive soon reached Kenshin and Junzo's ears, causing the latter, more unused to this, to wince in pain.

"My bokken, you hurt it!" Kaoru sniffed, hugging the wooden sword to her. A practically comatose Yahiko lay on the floor, a stupid grin on his face. The twenty something year old "Tokyo Samurai" managed to keep smiling, and even managed a soft chuckle despite his condition. The other two people within the vicinity cautiously peeked around the corner. Then again, only Kenshin peeked around the corner, to see Yahiko struggling to rise from the wooden floor. Kaoru's eye flashed, and her former student was smashed back into the hardwood by her fist. After the momentary violence, she returned to cradling her old weapon. Kenshin sighed in relief and walked up to her.

"Kaoru, let's get back to the discussion we were having with Junzo-san before Yahiko so rudely addressed you." After a moment, Kaoru nodded, still cradling in her arms her bokken.

Junzo raised an eyebrow as the couple passed by him. As the disappeared behind the corner, he turned his gaze from them to Yahiko. To his surprise, the current master of Kamiya Kasshin was up on his feet already, rubbing his head. "Didn't she hit you?"

Yahiko nodded, the smile still on his face. "I'm used to it. Besides, I'm not as frail as I used to be." He tapped his head. "Thanks to Kaoru." Junzo turned his back on the other man, shaking his head. He muttered under his breath about crazy people in which the fate of so many rested on.

            Yahiko, who was the chief instructor of the dojo, to Kaoru's surprise, postponed the day's classes for kenjutsu. Asked why, he replied with a smile about Kenshin's return, as well as their getting better. Kaoru patted her former student's back amiably, commenting on how he's grown so much since they found him. While she and Yahiko spent the rest of the morning reminiscing of older days, Kenshin sat across Junzo discussing the purpose of the man's return. "I would like to continue to speak about your aims here. You are seeking the best fighters of our world, right?" Junzo nodded. Kenshin smiled, "Aside from me, who else are you planning to bring to this other world?" At this Junzo blinked, his eyes glazing over as he went deep in thought.

Kenshin patiently waited for the man to reply, smoothening out the creases in his gi. After a while, he noticed that the man had not yet said anything. Kenshin frowned and looked back up at Junzo, who had a peculiar expression on his face. "Junzo-san?" The man shook his head lightly, when Kenshin called his name, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Yes?"

"I asked you, who else do you intend to bring along to the other world."

Junzo glared at Kenshin with an annoyed light in his eyes. "I heard you, Himura."

Kenshin ignored the 'Himura' and continued with his question. "Who then?"

After another moment of silence, Junzo shrugged. "I don't know."

"Oro…?" The redhead gaped at Junzo with disbelieving eyes before toppling over.

Fortunately, the palpable situation was then broken by Yahiko's entry. A sheepish grin graced his face. "I'm sorry, I overheard the last part." Junzo didn't seem to react, merely answering with a grunt. Yahiko went of to the somewhat crestfallen Kenshin, and proceeded to kick the former rurouni. "Oi, Kenshin, get up. It's going to be lunch soon, and I'd rather have you cook than my former teacher." Kenshin slowly got up under the constant nudging of Yahiko.

He looked up at him and smiled. "Aa, Yahiko-kun, Kaoru has improved much since before you know. She's a pretty decent cook now, why don't you try her food?"

The shihondai shook his head. "Iie, Kenshin. I'll stick to something sure this time around."

A growling sound suddenly emanated from behind Yahiko. The pair looked behind him to see Junzo rubbing his stomach, an awkward look on his face. "Ah, sorry about that."

"Eh…"

A while later, Yahiko sat on the floor, fidgeting uneasily. Kenshin had strongly insisted on letting Kaoru make lunch, wanting to show Yahiko how much she had improved. Junzo had disappeared at around that time, leaving a then grumbling Yahiko alone with Kenshin. On the other hand, Yahiko was still grumbling, albeit a bit more softly and subdued now. He perked up when Kenshin asked him about coming along with Junzo. The other world seemed like a nice place to learn new things he mused. Mere moments after mentioning it, he had decided to go with them. After all, what use was his skill if he didn't use it he reasoned. The smile on his face grew with confidence and determination until Kenshin asked about a special someone.

"So, Tsubame won't mind this then, Yahiko-kun?"

The confident smile froze in his face at the mention of her name. _Aah! I forgot about Tsubame, what will she say about this? Kenshin chuckled at the frozen expression on Yahiko's face, shaking his head. It was apparent that he was so surprised at all that was happening that he'd forgotten about his girlfriend and what she would think about all this. He managed an uneasy laugh, mumbling softly that Tsubame would understand. __I hope._

"Shujin koishii, it's time for lunch." Kaoru's head popped into the room, a smile on her face. "Yahiko-kun, you too, let's go have our lunch."

"Kaoru, koi, where's Junzo-san?" Kenshin asked his wife, a soft hand on her shoulder as they walked.

She winked at Kenshin. "Ah, Junzo-san? He was most helpful with me in the kitchen while you and Yahiko were talking. He's probably waiting for us right now." Kenshin nodded, satisfied with his wife's answer and not getting the subtle jibe she had shot at him. Junzo was indeed seated in the dining room, waiting for the three to come. Yahiko's eyes feasted on the food on the table, quite surprised.

"Kaoru, you made all this?" He asked, almost incredulously.

She blushed, shaking her head. "Iie, not everything. I made the rice balls and the miso soup though. It is Junzo-san here who made the rest." 

Kenshin smiled appreciatively at the man. "Well, you never told me you could cook so well, Junzo-san." 

The man merely shrugged, a faint smile on his lips. "My okasan and her parents were great cooks. I loved their food, so how could I not learn? At any rate, please, let's eat up before making comments about how well-made the food is, hmm?"

"Hai!" Yahiko dropped himself onto the floor, eager to begin. He pointed his chopsticks at the chicken. "What is this?" He looked at Junzo.

The man looked at what he was pointing at and smiled. "That is a Chinese dish, called Hainanese chicken. You eat it with this sauce." Junzo pointed at a small bowl of greenish substance. "This sauce is made of various vegetables and spices in oil. Try it, its is one of my favorite dishes."

Yahiko nodded, a smile on his face. "I bet you can cook just as good as Tae at the Akabeko, Junzo-san. You seem good at this." Others laughed as Yahiko began to dig into the food. The Kenshin and Kaoru began to eat as well, though at a slower pace than Yahiko. After a few moments, the shihondai paused, a thoughtful smile on his lips. "You know, this chicken reminds me of rooster-head."

Kenshin smiled. "That it does. Sanosuke helped be back to Japan from Shanghai."

Yahiko chewed contemplatively on the chicken in his mouth. He swallowed it, relishing the taste. "Too bad for him, the old tori-atama can't enjoy Junzo's chicken and roast duck, eh, Kenshin?" Kenshin smiled, and was about to reply to Yahiko's comment when a loud banging on the door outside distracted him.

"Who would be calling at this time of day?" Kaoru frowned. Kenshin began to stand up to get to the door outside when Kaoru held his forearm and shook her head. "It can wait Kenshin. Whoever it is can come back after we eat." The former rurouni fidgeted, sensing someone familiar. With Kaoru pulling him back down though, he shrugged it off and sat, getting back to eating. The loud knocking soon died down, much to Kaoru's delight. "See, Kenshin, I told you they'd leave." He smiled at her, popping a rice ball into his mouth. He shrugged, telling himself that perhaps he was bit too reactive.

_Hmm?_

He glanced at Junzo, who seemed to be looking towards the direction of the outer doors of the dojo. The man turned to look at Kenshin. "You have a new visitor, Kenshin." Kenshin raised his eyebrow at this. After a moment of mental debate, he decided to go and see who it was.

"I'll be right back, Kaoru. It won't take more then a few minutes." He smiled pleasantly at his wife, and rose to slide back the door to see who was outside.

"Oi, having a nice lunch?"

Kenshin had opened the shoji to reveal a tall, scruffy-looking man smiling at the former rurouni. Sanosuke idly reached up to scratch his chin, which was covered in stubble. Kaoru didn't appear to recognize him, as did Yahiko, who immediately drew his bokken. Before Kenshin could do anything more than stare in surprise, the two users of Kamiya Kasshin immediately launched themselves at the "intruding stranger". Sano barely managed to look up and flash a smile at them before he realized they were attacking him. The smile turned in surprise, as he realized that they didn't recognize him. It could also be the fact that they were beating the living daylights out of him and pounding him into the ground. Kenshin rushed out to pull them off the hapless Sano, who was knocked out by the surprise attack the pair had given him, while Junzo merely frowned at this.

He shook his head in resignation. _Living in such an environment would surely toughen up someone, whether training here or not. Kenshin quickly explained to them who the beaten up man was and recognition flashed in their eyes. Junzo sighed and sipped his teacup again. __Whether they like it or not either. Kenshin scurried off to get a wet towel for Sano's head, while Yahiko and Kaoru busied themselves with poking Sano awake with their wooden swords. Junzo set down his cup and went outside to help. __This place is too full of surprises for my own health._

"Yare, yare."

"How did you get here so quickly Sano? I only got here myself, after you put me on the boat from Shanghai." Kenshin asked his friend.

Gobbling up the food before him like a ravenous beast, Sano barely managed to squeeze a reply from his busily eating mouth. "Abther I thent youb along the boath, I kinduf gut wurrid abouf youb, thow I thold whath ig hadth thoo phay for th' fare." Kenshin blinked in incomprehension, while Kaoru looked at him in partial disgust.

"Sano, swallow your food first, we can't understand a thing you're saying." Kaoru told him.

He blinked at this and shrugged, pausing in stuffing food in his mouth to swallow it all down. A decidedly satiated look appeared on his face. "Wonderful food, haven't eaten things like this since…" He stopped and grinned. "Heh, never mind." He took a swig from the sake bottle he brought and licked his lips. "I said that after I sent Kenshin along the boat, I kind of got worried about him. So I sold what I had to pay for the extra fare on a faster boat to catch up with him." He grinned and looked down at the empty plates. "Looks like the extra cash I spent to get here was worth it, eh?"

"Hey, what do you know, the last piece of the duck." Yahiko's eyes caught sight of it and reached over with his chopsticks to get it, when another pair intercepted him. His eyes flashed and looked over at Sano, who was looking at him with an equally deadly gaze. They began to maneuver to get the last piece, then pushed the other's arms aside, then began shoving the other. The pair exploded in another of the fights over the last piece that Kenshin and Kaoru was so familiar off in the older days. Junzo shook his head, and picked up his own chopsticks to end the "discussion", and placed the duck into his mouth, much to the dismay of the two squabbling men.

**Glossary**

"Shujin koishii"            : Husband dearest

**Thanks/ End Notes**

I'd like to thank **Sherry** again for reviewing, as well as **Shikee**, who I will say, made the visual renditions of Junzo, that if you care to find out, looks like. The pictures are up at my site :

http://ayce_shade.tripod.com

Thanks to **Akin Sijin** as well.

It may be a bit to ask, but if you read this fic, please review, even if its just a few words. Thanks!


	4. Heaven's Dragon is Reborn

Disclaimer: RK is not mine, blah, blah. 

**Note: This fic is AU and begins from the end of the Seissou Hen, and involves elements of established fantasy genres.**

Heaven's Dragon is Reborn 

Sano stretched out on the front of the dojo, as he always did so long ago, with Kenshin sitting quietly and peacefully beside him. The taller man rubbed the coarse hair that covered his face, chuckling and shaking his head. "This is just like old times, eh Kenshin?"

The purple eyes sparkled and his contentment shone clearly. "Indeed it is, Sanosuke." Kenshin's expression softened, and turned contemplative, thinking about Junzo and his purpose. Kenshin frowned slightly and glanced over at Sano. "Sano, it may be quite abrupt, with your return to Japan and all now but I have to tell you something."

Sano scratched his head, a smile gracing his face, and the ever-present fishbone between his teeth. "Heh, sure, sure, you know me." He chortled. "Wait, don't tell me, you're going to go get your sakabatou back from Kenji and Yahiko and take up Hitten Mitsururi Ryuu once more to banish some maniac?" He laughed out loud as he finished, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yes, that's right."

Sano's laughter stopped, his face frozen in a mask of laughter and surprise. "You're kidding me." He managed to say, staring at the redhead incredulously.

This time it was Kenshin who smiled, a soft chuckle escaping from his lips.

Sano stood up suddenly with a mien of astonishment and anger. "You can't do this! You're not fit enough to go out and fight, I mean you're sick and all…" At that moment Sano looked close at Kenshin, with his index finger outstretched. He pressed the finger into the side of Kenshin's face, poking the hapless examination subject. After a few moments of Sano's scrutiny, the man straightened a hand scratching his head. "Gee, Kenshin, you look good for a guy who's dying of illness."

"Ah…Sano, I'm cured."

Sano didn't seem too hear and began another round of inspection. Poking Kenshin's arms and back. "Whoa, your muscles seem to have gotten better, they don't feel like a mash of strings anymore."

"Ah..Sano."

"I mean, for a guy who's pushing past forty you're okay you know. Especially with that sickness and all."

"Sano…"

"I know!" The fighter smiled a hand raised in the air, then pointed straight at the swordsman's face. "Kenshin, you're cured!" Sano laughed at his declaration, while the former rurouni face-faulted.

"Orooo…"

The bells of the Akabeko's entrance chimed softly as a new customer entered. Despite the relative noise, the woman who managed the place, Sekihara Tae managed to hear it and welcomed the newcomer. Her expression faded slightly when she saw whom it was, and a frown of puzzlement appeared on her face. The tall man, dressed in dark pants and a buttoned shirt took a seat at the side. He pushed back up his dark glasses, tapping the table.

Tae shrugged, and went towards the inner part of the restaurant. She called out to a youthful lad and told him to help and get the new customer's order. The boy quickly wiped his hands and walked out, his head turning here and there until he caught sight of the man Tae had mentioned. He strode up to him and flashed a polite smile, as he was told to do. "Good noon sir, what would you like to have?"

The man, who was looking out through a glass window murmured something indistinct before turning to look at the boy. As he saw the lad, his eyebrow was raised in a faint gesture of surprise. He mumbled something else, the only part which was understandable being, "…just like Himura…"

The boy frowned in annoyance. "Your order, sir?"

The man's expression faded, becoming a clouded and unruffled one. "Chrysanthemum tea, and some…no, never mind. Just the tea, that's all." The boy shrugged and turned around, making his way back to Tae. The man stared at the boy's back, a faint smile of amusement adorning his lips.

Kenji shook his head, slightly annoyed at the last customer. He was done with helping out in the Akabeko for now. He wanted to go visit Chizuru, who was staying with some relatives in town. He told Tae that, and jogged off to get Yahiko's sakabatou in the shed. He opened the small wooden building and found that the sword was exactly as he had left it. He took it up and skillfully wore it on side. He was adjusting it as he was going out when a silhouette covered the entrance. It was the man from the Akabeko, the last customer.

"That sword, should not be left behind like that. It has much history behind it." The man spoke levelly, as if dictating a fact, which he was. Kenji scowled and ran past the man, and into the streets of Tokyo, vanishing easily into the noontime crowd of people. Brushing a few strands of hair from his face, the man smiled faintly and just as easily vanished from the scene.

Moments after Sano's discovery, the two friends were again reseated. Sano lay back, idly chewing his fishbone. "How did you get so well so quickly Kenshin?"

The redhead ran his hand over his hakama and replied nonchalantly, "Oh, Junzo healed me and Kaoru. You can ask Yahiko if you want, he knows about it too."

"Junzo? That other guy's a doctor then? Some miracle worker I suppose, I mean, Doctor Gensai and the Fox couldn't help you much…" He trailed off at that, remembering the raven-haired beauty of years ago. As he mumbled incoherently, Kenshin remembered Junzo's words. _"I know that I could not hope to defeat him without allies of skill, allies that can only be found here."_ The words echoed deeply in his mind. He glanced at Sanosuke, and he knew that the wanderer would be useful, skilled as he was in the martial arts as any. And if he felt the effects of age, well, he supposed that Junzo could help remedy that. He frowned at the though, also remembering Sano's distaste for anything to do with magic, or new technology, preferring a stable world, the one he'd grown up in.

He looked at the now quiet man once again. Perhaps his travels had changed that though, and it may not be so difficult to convince him of the necessity. It would be a good idea to take Sanosuke along, Kenshin decided, after all he'd relied on the man more than once long ago. After a few more moments of thought, Kenshin turned to look at Sano, ready to speak his words to invite the fighter in this new adventure. "Sano, there's something I need to tell you…" He had turned to see a Sanosuke deep in dreamland leaning against the dojo post. "Oro…" The redheaded man cradled his face in one hand.

At that moment, a shadow crossed his line of sight, causing Kenshin to look up at its' source. His eyes met Junzo's, a serious expression on the other man's face. The man nodded respectfully, but from the expression on his face Kenshin knew what was on his mind. "Himura-san."

Kenshin nodded. "Hai. I know what it is you are thinking. But, I cannot fight without my sword, Junzo-san."

Junzo nodded once more. "I see. When will you be able to get your sword back?"

Kenshin blinked, turning to look off at the side towards the entrance to the dojo. "When my son returns."

Sensing the strands of emotion in Kenshin's voice, Junzo quietly retreated from the scene. "I'll be waiting by the river, Himura-san. Remember, time is not on our side. It must be today." A cool breeze swept the leaves in the garden, and the faint sounds of the early afternoon kendo class.

Kenji walked around the marketplace of Tokyo, a slight frown on his face. _Who was that man?_ He shook his head in annoyance. _He reminds me of father._ Kenji let out a soft sigh, as he kept his pace, tiredly walking along.

"Kenji, Kenji!" The boy turned around to see Yahiko behind him a somewhat serious expression on his face. Kenji smiled, seeing the older youth come along.

"Hi, Yahiko-kun!"

"Oi, Kenji. I've been looking for you." The swordsman stopped in front of the redheaded boy, his hands on his knees as he got his breath back. "At any rate, I'd like to ask you for something."

Kenji frowned, somewhat perturbed by his senior's demeanor. "Eh, what is it?"

"Could I borrow your sakabatou?"

"Nani?" Kenji took a step back in alarm, as Yahiko showed him an open hand.

"I only need to borrow it for a short while, Kenji-chan."

"Oi, don't call me Kenji-chan!" The boy thunked Yahiko lightly on the head with the hilt of the sword, his face in an expression similar to a pout.

"All right then I won't, but I need to borrow the sword." Yahiko rubbed his head. _Compared to his mother's smacks, this is nothing though._

"Mmm…well, take care of it then, okay?" He looked down, and began to adjust his obi, loosening it then slowly handed the weapon over. Yahiko straightened, a smile on his lips mixed with sadness. Kenji failed to notice this however, and only looked back up when the expression on Yahiko's face had passed.

"Let's head home."

"H-home? I think I'll go home later, Yahiko." Kenji stammered, watning to avoid being with his father.

"Iie. You're coming home, with me. Now." Yahiko spoke to Kenji but softly, but there was no denying the undertone of command that lay in those words.

"Ah, hai." Kenji pouted, looking at his feet. Yahiko turned around and started walking towards the Kamiya Kasshin dojo, with the redhead child trailing behind him. 

It wasn't too long before they reached the dojo, and Yahiko opened up the doorway. Some clouds gradually shadowed the afternoon sun that shone above, and he felt a cool breeze sweep the compound. He suppressed a shudder, and continued on with the sakabatou in his hands. He turned around, satisfied that Kenji had followed him home. The young boy scowled at Yahiko, but kept his mouth shut and instead scampered off, disappearing around one of the dojo buildings.

He paid little notice of that, and walked around the other side of the dojo, where he knew Kenshin was waiting for him. The former-rurouni spotted the young man the moment he turned the corner, and a lips crossed his lips as he saw the sakabatou in Yahiko's hold.

"Ah, Yahiko-kun." He smiled at the youth, and waved him over. As the other neared, the redheaded man stood. The two stood in front of each other in silence for a short while, before Yahiko handed over the sword with a sigh, and a smile on his lips.

"Kenshin."

The former rurouni looked down, putting the weapon at his side. _It has been…long._

"Kenshin."

"Aa, hai?"

"Beat him. I know you can."

A soft chuckle filled the air. "I will try, Yahiko-kun." The older man looked at the youth's eyes and nodded serenely. "Thank you for your words though." Kenshin took a step forward, his hand patting Yahiko's shoulder.

One step.

The soft *chink* sound that his sword made when he took that step reached his ears. And a different smile crossed his lips. "Tell Kaoru, I and Junzo-san will return late this afternoon." He took another step, and another. Soon, the faint sounds of footfalls receded, leaving Yahiko alone with a sleeping Sanosuke.

In a grassy field, not too far away, the crimson beams of the slowly setting sun splashed across the green like blood staining the land. Or like the fires of war upon a tapestry of woven silk, if such a thing could have been made. Junzo serenely sat upon one of the large boulders that littered the area, his two daishos at his side. One set for the test, the blades of his true soul. And the other set, for the world he never wished to have se foot iin. Yet, it was his fate, his destiny. His eyes slowly opened, the natural beauty of the glowing red sun captivating. Then, he saw another shade, that brought a smile to his lips just as well as the sun.

He breathed in deeply, and his hands moved towards his daisho, the ones he'd readied for this battle. His legs uncrossed, and he slowly stood up. He adjusted his obi, and fixed his clothes. By the time he was finished, Kenshin had stepped up onto their battlefield, no more than twenty paces away from Junzo, who had walked to the center of the field as well. He flashed a sad smile at Kenshin. "I would rather that I could know your true skill already, without a fight. But…"

"It is a chance you do not want to risk. I understand. Especially after the dojo incident."

"Hai." Junzo looked down on at the ground for a moment, then back up. "Are you ready, Himura?"

The once-retired warrior nodded slowly, his stance shifting to a battou-justu form.

Junzo nodded, and shifted into his own battle stance, a battou-jutsu one as well. The smile on his lips disappeared, and the friendly look in his eyes faded to one of seriousness. Kenshin noted this, and his eye narrowed down as well.

The silence was palpable.

"Hajime!"

The flash of blades was all one could see.

**Glossary:**

No uncommon terminology in this chapter, so no glossary for now. ^_^

**Thanks/End Notes:**

My deepest apologies to my readers (if any remain, or if I had any in the first place) for my hideously large delay in updating. I ran into a massive writers block and an obstacle. Namely, college. In any case, I'm back up and writing again, so you'll be seeing at least up to the Kenshin-Junzo fight scene! And if I get any reviews for either this chapter or the next, I'll keep writing. Gomen, gomen!

In the next chappie, you'll get to see Junzo's techniques! Maybe I'm the only one excited about it though…-_-;

I'd like to thank **Tyrant-Scizor**, as this dude's why I'm back. For some…weird reason, seeing his reviews (around 2 months old) kind of got me going again. And for **L. Sith** Junzo doesn't equal Scorpion-clan. He's _honorable_. ^_^ Just wait for Saitou's appearance, hehehe…


	5. Twin Blades Upon A Lonely Field

Disclaimer: RK is not mine, blah, blah. 

**Note: This fic is AU and begins from the end of the Seissou Hen, and involves elements of established fantasy genres.**

Twin Dragons on A Lonely Field 

As the sun slowly descended upon Tokyo, Sano yawned, waking from his little afternoon nap. The Shanghai trip had tired him out a bit, but he was perfectly fine now. He blearily looked around, expecting to find his companion of old beside him. "Oi, Kenshin…" He turned to find that the redhead had disappeared from sight. He shrugged and stood up, stretching his arms then turning around to find him. He walked around the dojo, to hear the sounds of Yahiko practicing in the dojo, with Kaoru watching on her successor with a smile on her face. To her side, Kenji looked on his mother with wonder and amazement at her returned youth.

Sano scratched the back of his head in bewilderment, surprised that Kenshin wasn't here. He stepped into the dojo, while Yahiko continued on performing his swings and drills. A look of seriousness was on his face, a look Sano noted that he hadn't seen since the battle with Enishi. He idly wondered where that poor kid was. He knew what it was like to have lost someone dear, to a certain extent, at such an age. He thankfully had Kenshin to get him through that stage, and wondered if Enishi had someone like Kenshin too.

He wandered over to plop down beside Kaoru. "Oi, Jou-chan, where's Kenshin?"

Kaoru replied to him, although she still kept her eyes on Kenji with a smile on her face. "Yahiko said Kenshin left. He'd be back later on in the afternoon with Junzo-san."

Sano pursed his lips and leaned back, arms crossed behind his head. "Tch. I wonder where he went." He blinked, looking at the ceiling in thought. A thought was at the back of his head, a funny feeling he couldn't get rid off. He shook his head, and looked to the side at Kenji. The young boy looked like Kenshin, no doubt. Sano could just picture that scar…no. He also had Jou-chan's look in him, in the eyes, and some facial features. "So, you're Kenji. You look a lot like Kenshin you know?"

The boy looked up, only now noticing Sanosuke. He suppressed a wince at the man's words, but the slight action didn't get past Sano's gaze. _What's this?_

"Ah, sorry Sano." Kaoru apologized. She motioned for Kenji to sit in from of them, so he'd sit facing both his mother and Sano. Once he'd done so, she began. "Kenji, I'd like to you to meet Sagara Sanosuke. He's a really old friend of ours, back when your Tousan and I wasn't married yet."

Kenji nodded, the expression on his face decidedly neutral. "Nice to meet you, Sagara-san."

Sano's face contorted in discomfort. "Ah, just Sano, kid. Don't use that Sagara-san stuff."

Kenji nodded again, the expression on his face softening. "Hai, Mr…ah, Sano."

Kaoru looked pleased at their greetings, and watched on after a while as they started up a conversation. It was just then that Kaoru noticed something with her son, something that seemed to be missing. She waited for a break in the conversation before interrupting. "Ah, pardon me."

Sano shrugged, letting Kaoru speak. She shot him a look of thanks, than turned to look at Kenji. "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, you seemed to be enjoying it. But I have a question, Kenji-kun." He looked at her blankly, again reminding Sano of Kenshin. "Where's your fa—ah, your sakabatou?"

Kenji smiled and turned around to point at Yahiko, who was up to this point still furiously training himself with intenste drills, and practicing fighting against an imaginary opponent. "Ah, Yahiko borrowed it. He said he needed it for something, and that he'd return it to me later." At this point the funny feeling that lay at the back of Sano's head grew more intense. Kenji frowned at the shihondai. "Yahiko-kun?" The serious demeanor on the other's face did not break, and he seemed to be phased out.  

Before Kenji could call out again, Sano stopped him, a glint in his eye. "Let me." He smiled and cleared his throat.

"YAHIKO-CHAN!"

Sano instantly found himself with one lump on his head and a steaming Yahiko standing beside him. "Lay off the 'chan' stuff, chicken."

"Ah, Yahiko-kun?" Kenji spoke, and this time he heard it.

"Hai? What is it, Kenji?"

"Ano…I was wondering, where my sakabatou was?"

Yahiko tensed up a bit, but managed to conceal that and walked back to the dojo floor's center. "Oh, I'll return it to you later. I found out I didn't need it right now."

A shadow rose up behind Yahiko, who found himself get lifted off the floor by the back of his gi. "Oi, Yahiko. You're setting a bad example for the younger one. Don't lie to us, I can tell." He winced and dropped the youth, when Yahiko kicked his shin.

He brushed himself, and gave Sano a glare. "I'm not lying, so don't bother me with your stupidity."

"Yahiko-kun, have you seen Kenshin? I haven't seen him around the house since he was talking with Sano." Kaoru interjected before the current vagabond could retort.

"Iie, I haven't." 

It was at this point that everything seemed to fall into place for Sano. He'd learned to notice the way people spoke during his years of traveling, one of the many skills he'd acquired over the time, aside developing his combative abilities. He'd sensed the slight tightness to Yahiko's voice. That, coupled with Kenji's question about the sakabatou, and Sano's conversation with Kenshin a few hours ago gave him all the evidence he needed to fuel his sudden suspicions.

"Wait, don't tell me, you're going to go get your sakabatou back from Kenji and Yahiko and take up Hitten Mitsururi Ryuu once more to banish some maniac?"

_"Yes, that's right."_

A feeling of coldness caressed Sano's skin, and his throat tightened. He suddenly he was holding Yahiko's bokken firmly in his hand, preventing the younger man from using it. "You gave the sakabatou to Kenshin, didn't you." Sano's voice almost sounded haunted as he spoke. Yahiko glared at Sano, as behind them Kaoru gasped, raising a hand to her face to cover her mouth. Beside her the teenage Kenji frowned, in an expression that both mixed confusion and amazement. Yahiko pulled away from Sano, his eyes flashing at Sano's. "Why?" Yahiko straightened, matching the glare in Sanosuke's eyes with one just as fierce from his own. Sano almost flinched at this. _He's changed. No, not changed…grown._

"He asked for it. I helped him, that's it." Yahiko calmly replied, any tremor or strain in his voice gone.

Sano stepped forward, hands clenched at his sides. Kaoru stood, a protective hand warding off Kenji, who had already stood up at sensing the suddenly tense atmosphere. "Where is he?" As Yahiko's mouth began to move, Sano rushed forward startling everyone but Yahiko, who had seen the tell-tale signs of a man about to spring forward. He did not react however, not that he could have done too much to avoid Sano pulling him towards himself by grasping his gi.

Kaoru's eyes widened when she saw this, causing her to pause and gape in shock at her friend's actions. Yahiko shook his head. "I don't know. Put me down, Sano."

Kaoru snapped out of it, hearing the words of reason coming from Yahiko. Amazing, she thought, and would have likely made fun of Yahiko out of it, but didn't in this situation. Sano grit his teeth in frustration, not at Yahiko, but at Kenshin's idioticy. His arms trembled at the chance of losing his friend, whom he'd just returned and met now. In Japan, his home. He slowly let the shihondai down, who tossed aside the bokken.

"Kenshin knew that you would try to interfere, Sanosuke." Yahiko spoke softly. "That;s why he asked me to stay here, to offer a semblance of normalcy. To delay you all."

"Who is it?" Sano asked tersely.

"Junzo. Mizushin Junzo." Sano quickly turned around to look at Kaoru. "I didn't think…that he'd fight Kenshin. I thought…I thought." She dropped to her knees, Kenji rushing to support his mother, with a flash of anger flickering in his eyes.

Sano cursed silently, remember Kenshin speaking to him. Junzo. He should have suspected something about the man. No one was that good, coming in and helping Kenshin and Kaoru, without any sort of payment at all. He should have known that age and that debilitating sickness had dulled Kenshin's senses far enough that the ex-rurouni ex-hitokiri wouldn't sense much about Junzo.

 "If you want to find out where Kenshin is, we'll have to move. Fast." The words broke Sano's train of thought. "I was with Junzo this morning, Yahiko was out searching for Kenji. He was asking me for an open space where he could meditate." Kaoru looked away, outside. "I think that is where they are right now."

Sano nodded, a grim smile on his lips. "When we get there…"

"You'll not interfere with them, unless Kenshin really needs help. Trust him, Sanosuke." Yahiko cut in.

The taller man shrugged. "Fine."

The pair moved out of the dojo and reached the gate when they realized something. They still didn't know where Kenshin was. The pair spun around to find Kaoru and Kenji following them briskly. "At the riverside. Where Gohei tricked you, Yahiko-kun. We'll follow. Go." The pair nodded their thanks and sped off once again, a trail of dust the sign of their passage. Kaoru and her son followed behind them, at the fastest pace Kaoru could handle.

"Mmm…very nice indeed. I have to say, Miss Namoto, the Akabeko still remains one of my favored dining places here in Tokyo."

Tae smiled pleasantly, basking in the praise this man showered upon her. "Arigatou, good sir." She looked at him from a different angle, tilting her head a bit. "Pardon me, but you look very familiar to me…"

"Tae, Tae. I thought you said you had paperwork to do?" A refined masculine voice called out. The owner of the Akabeko restaurant turned to flash a smile at her husband, Kaede.

"Oh, Kae-san. I was finished with today's already, so I decided to help out here. It is such a busy day today."

Kaede chuckled at her words. "My dear wife, it is _always_ busy here at the Akabeko. But don't worry, I'm not going to say anything. I know you still like to be hands on." He stepped up beside her and raised a hand to caress her cheek. "Its what first attracted me to you, remember?" She blushed at the touch and his words, despite for being married for quite some time already. A muffled cough distracted the couple, causing Kaede to smile sheepishly at the customer Tae was just talking too. "I'm sorry, officer. Well, I'll let you enjoy your meal now." The two then turned and walked off, disappearing in the back. The uniformed man barely blinked and looked back down, picking up his chopsticks and eating once more.

He let himself savor the meal's warmth and taste. The spiciness was exactly as he remembered, from long time ago. He was half-done with his meal when a shadow eclipsed the light and casted a dark shape across his table. He looked up to see his subordinate walk to take a seat across him, on the other side of the table. He glanced down at his food, and decided that he'd had enough for now, despite the fact that he was enjoying this meal quite a lot. He reached into his pocket for his payment as he asked his subordinate about his task.

The other officer nodded in answer silently. This caused the senior officer to raise an eyebrow. Normally the man was quite noisy, but it was a peculiarity that was quite welcome at the moment. "Let's leave then." The two stood up and left, with the senior officer leaving his payment on the tabletop.

"Where are they?"

"By the river, boss. An old fight location."

"Mmm…figures. Let's go."

The two walked down the street briskly, their stride taking them quickly down the pathway, and in a few moments that had reached the outer areas of Tokyo. The sun slowly began to set, and a flash of red light the sky as they drew closer to the field. Far behind them, Tae had managed to escape the grasp of her husband for the meantime, and walked back to the table where the officer had been sitting down. She noted with a touch of disappointment to find he had left, though he'd paid. She asked for someone to clean it up, as another pair of people arrived and made their way for the table. A waitress quickly cleaned it up and took from the table a teacup and the single bowl of cooling kake-soba.

Kyoto.

It was once the center of the storm of chaos that was the Bakumatsu. Once upon a time, blood had rained here and drenched the streets. Once. It would not happen again. Not under the watch of those who were once the shadow guards of Edo, the Oniwabanshuu. To the people of Kyoto, they were peacekeepers, or vigilantes. Few really knew who they were though. No one would suspect them of being the jovial people that worked at the Aioya, one of the city's smaller, but premier inns and restaurants. The afternoon sun blazed like a red orb of fire that hovered just beyond reach of her hands. From a small balcony of the Aioya's third floor, Misao looked out at the sun, admiring its beauty. A word escaped her lips then. "Kirei…"

A soft voice emanated from the person standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her in an embrace. "Not as much as you."

The words seemed out of place when coming from Aoshi, and would have sounded like that to anyone who knew him ten years ago. It had taken…time, before he'd softened, and turned those ice blue eyes into something that reminded Misao more of the calm, placid power of the sea. It was almost the same, but a different side of the coin nonetheless. "Misao…"

She turned around in his arms to shush him by placing her fingers upon his lips. "I know…when do you leave?"

"Tommorow."

"Ah, I see." She looked up at him. "How long?"

He looked back down at her, his hand dancing through her hair. "I do not know."

She sighed, and leaned against him, her head lying against his chest. "You will—"

"—come back. Of course. I cannot leave you. Besides, you also have our child to take care of." He nodded down at her. 

She shifted in his arms. "I wish I could go with you. Like in old times."

"Don't worry about me." He was getting uncomfortable with the situation, having to leave her. But, it wouldn't be long. Not for her anyway. But this conversation wasn't making anything easier for him. He needed to stop it, so the pain of parting would be less. Knowing Misao, there were few things he could do to stop her from discussing it. Good thing he knew how. He tipped her head up at him, and gazed into her eyes. "I'm planning on spending our time together tonight well."

A giggle escaped her lips as she smiled and leaned over to plant a kiss on her lips, silencing the sound immediately.

Sanosuke silently cursed his redheaded friend, confused at what would make the former-rurouni accept a fight. Even if it was a price for healing Kenshin himself, he'd thought that the man wouldn't allow Kaoru the pain of her anata possibly getting killed in a fight that if he won, would likely just set him back on the path to getting sick again. No, wait. Sano recalled the look an Kaoru's face. _She's been healed too._ If Kaoru was healed, then yes. Most definitely Kenshin would risk this match and risk getting sick again. Not that he would even win though. That thought caused Sanosuke to wince. Kenshin was theoretically the most skilled swordsman alive, if he was at top condition. However, Sano knew that despite his recent recovery, age and lack of practice would have a great toll on Kenshin's fighting ability. "Are you sure we're heading to the right place, Yahiko?" Sanosuke managed to say, despite their running hard to where Kaoru said Kenshin and Junzo might be at.

"Of course! I should know!"

"I hope so…" Sanosuke shot at the younger man.

"I KNOW SO!" Yahiko glared back at his running partner. The pair increased their pace nonetheless, and ran along the riverbank. The sunlight above faded slowly, the crimson rays screened by the nearby trees. "There!" Yahiko yelled, raising a hand to point out two figures in the distance. They skid to a halt by the riverside, just in time to see both Kenshin and Junzo lunge at each other. From their battoujutsu stances.

"Kenshin!" Sano yelled, but his voice was lost in the clash of blades.

The pair stood half a dozen paces apart, both blades out and raised in the aftermath of the twin attacks. They stayed like that for a moment, before relaxing and turning around to face each other. Kenshin could see Sano and Yahiko arrive, and nodded in acknowledgement to both of them. Sano frowned and took a few step forward, followed by Yahiko, at which Kenshin shook his head, stopping them. Junzo noted all this, letting his opponent deal with them for now, retaining a smile on his lips. Once he noticed that Kenshin's attention was once more turned back to him Junzo raised his head a notch.

"It's good to see that your battoujutsu is still quick enough."

Kenshin nodded, smiling faintly. "Even after all these years, my body cannot forget it easily."

Junzo shrugged. "I suppose so." He shifted his stance then, into one that seemed vaguely familiar to Kenshin. "Let's keep going. I have to fight you 'till you get your 'body memory' to work fully once more."

Kenshin chuckled, and shifted position once more, knowing that both fighter had not gotten particularly serious as of yet, despite the momentary look of seriousness that Junzo had just before they began their fight. "Aa…so you will. I assure you though, you will not have to wait long."

"Don't hold back!" In an instant the gap between them closed, as Junzo attacked in a one-hand swing.

"I won't." He murmured under his breath as he blocked Junzo's blow. The pair began trading attack after another, the flash of blade dancing over the field in sparks as they connected with each other in rapid succession. Both figures began moving faster and faster, Kenshin recovering his former fighting ability as the fight went on, Junzo matching his foe's speed as he waited for the man to reach his peak.  While Kenshin's body started to grow weary from the battle, though it wasn't particularly fierce, he also began to sense a feeling he'd missed. The state of fighting was in a peculiar way comforting. He hated killing still, of course, but the fight in itself was a different matter. Almost like a sport of sort.

Sano and Yahiko had closed despite Kenshin's look telling them of his previous command to Yahiko, with the younger watching the fight in amazement. "He's been out of it for, almost a decade now, but he's managing to hold his own against Junzo-san."

"Iie. That other man, Junzo, is holding back. He's letting Kenshin warm-up, I think." Sano shook his head "But this makes no sense…" He muttered, as he saw the two continue to clash. "Why lure Kenshin out if he was just going to spar with him or something? I mean, it's the same, both are just using sakabatou…"

"What? Sakabatou?" Yahiko asked surprisedly.

"Hai. Sakabatou." Sanosuke answered evenly. He nodded towards the pair, who had paused after exchanging another set of attacks. "That guy is using a sakabatou as well."

"Demo, he was using a katana that other day…" Yahiko spoke, trailing off at the end in confusion.

"Nani? Katana?"

Junzo spun around, the half-smile ever present on his lips. "You're getting into this, Himura. You're moving faster and faster, getting more powerful."

Kenshin shrugged. "I'm getting back into the flow of things." He shifted his sword's position. "But I wish to end this as soon as possible. I need to learn this ki-ascension technique, and you said I have to defeat you to get it right? I do not want Kaoru to be troubled by me again, by getting sick because of Hitten Mitsurugi-Ryuu like before." He lowered his stance, his eyes sharpening. "I'm ready now."

Junzo nodded. "All right then. I'll stop playing as well. I hope I did not insult you." 

As the younger swordsman turned and sheathed his blade, Kenshin shook his head ever so slightly. "Hardly…" In his mind, the former rurouni could detect the suppressed power that this swordsman had. After the initial minutes of combat, Kenshin had managed to regain the full grasp of his combat senses, most importantly his ability sense his opponent's ki balances, and therefore be able to use his own fighting ability to react much faster than any other fighter. He closed his eyes, as he focused himself.

"Is it over?"

Both Sanosuke and Yahiko turned around to see Kaoru and Kenji run up beside them. Both seemed somewhat winded from the run, with Kenji less so. They all turned around to look at the two fighter on the field. "Did Kenshin win?"

"Iie…the fight's just starting, jou-chan." Sanosuke noted forlornly. 

Kaoru nodded, and turned from Sano to Kenshin. _Can Kenshin make it?_

Yahiko crossed his arms._ It's been quite some time for him. Can he do it still?_

Sanosuke closed his eyes in thought. _Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki?_

Junzo dropped his sakabatou on the boulder, and took up his katana. He turned to face Kenshin with a sad smile on his lips as he fixed the sword and saya to his obi. "Tell me, Himura." He took a step forward, the look in his eyes changing, the silver on white eyes flashing dangerously. "How was it like to be Hitokiri Battousai?"

"Nani…?" Kenshin frowned, taking a step back, sensing the man's ki flare dangerously. _What happened? Its like he's a different person completely!_

Junzo took another step forward, his hand lying steady on the hilt of his katana. "Have you ever failed a mission? A hit? A target to be killed?"

Kenshin frowned, realizing finally what happened. He was tricked, and very successfully, by this man who called himself Junzo. He was sent to kill him. _But who would wish me dead? Now? More than twenty years after the Bakumatsu? It makes no sense!_

"Why, Junzo? Is that even your name?" Kenshin spoke, shaking his head. By this time Sanosuke had figured out what happened, and took a step forward, his fists up.

"Oi, Kenshin! Let me take him on, you're out of shape and old you know!?!" He yelled behind Kenshin, waving a fist in the air.

"Oro…" Kenshin snapped out of it, and shook his head at Sano. "Iie, Sanosuke. This is something I'll deal with. However, if I'm losing…well, you know." He flashed a smile at the taller man to the side, then turned his gaze back to Junzo.

"Spirited friend you have. A fighter too, mmm? Good, good." Junzo shrugged. "My name _is_ Junzo, Himura. True to say, I'd expected the battousai to look more formidable. However, the calm in your eyes tells me all that I need to know. You are indeed him. My former captain wasn't wrong after all."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed into slits. _Former Captain? That doesn't sound good…_ He felt himself shudder, sensing the presence of two other people closing. Not particularly hostile, but strong nonetheless. And one was uncannily familiar… _Kenshin, snap out of this! You stop phasing out NOW!_ He blinked, the rush of all his senses returning having disoriented him for a while. He was only now getting his ken-ki sense reined in and focused, along with the rest of his refined senses. He looked at Junzo, who was calmly staring back at him.

"You need not worry about me stabbing you in the back, you know. I've got self-honor, and I don't want to waste this opportunity by killing you while you're distracted." Junzo looked at him coldly. At that moment the man tilted his head to the side. "It seems company is coming soon."

_What? Its too far yet to see anyone. Could he have the ability to sense ki as well? He may. He looks like a formidable swordsman as well. His air is so familiar…what could it be?_ Kenshin coughed softly as a gust of wind traversed the field. "Well?"

Junzo chuckled icily. "Yes. Time to stop playing." Both men looked straight at each other, with Kenshin sheathing his blade. Junzo unsheathed his blade, surprising Kenshin a bit, who'd thought that he'd use battoujutsu as his starting attack. Kenshin lowered his stance, eyeing Junzo who stood still with his blade in his left hand.

_Wait, left hand! That's…!_

A cold shiver ran up the spine of Sanosuke, Yahiko and Kaoru as they watched on with eyes wide open at Junzo's reply to Kenshin's battoujutsu stance. The younger fighter turned on his side, his right leg leading and pulling back his left arm, his blade edge upward. Junzo smiled, a predatory grin on his face that reminded Kenshin of his greatest rival so many years ago, during the chaos of the Bakumatsu. The grin faded quickly however, once Junzo saw the look on Kenshin's face. "Time to test your skill!" Junzo pulled back his arm and dashed forward in a lightning fast and powerful single-handed lunge.

_Gatotsu!_

**Glossary:**

Once again, nothing particularly complicated here, if you're a RK fan. ^_^

**Thanks/End Notes:**

Uh…I guess you _don't_ get to see his techniques just yet. -_-; Gomen, gomen. I promise you will in the next one though! If anyone cares…hehe

**Jason M. Lee**, do recall Junzo's little gift. You may yet be seeing some people coming along that you won't think may still be around. Besides, age works very slowly on Hiko. He hardly changed from the OVA when Kenshin was young 'till the Kyoto Arc, you know? O_o

**Arashi **I'll be sure to take in your tips in the coming chapters. I'm not a good psychological meddler though, I'm more of the fighting type. 

**Mika-chan** did you know that Watsuki-sensei didn't really intend to kill Kenshin in the Seissouhen? If he did, he'd have done it in the manga. I found that somewhere…I'll try dig it up again, neh?

**Shadow Chaser** Kenji is going to be a semi-major character here, though I'm having a difficult time putting the kid into it. He's only around 12, and well, I'm going to be sending Kenshin and Co. to…ah, well, just wait for it.^_^ Nyahahaha…this little reply just gave me an idea though. I'm really glad you deigned to put this in your Favorites list though!

Thanks for the reviews, minna!


	6. A Flash of Steel

Disclaimer: RK is not mine, blah, blah. 

**Note: This fic is AU and begins from the end of the Seissou Hen, and involves elements of established fantasy genres.**

A Flash of Steel 

Kenji looked on almost coldly as he watched his father fight against another man. While on the outside, he showed a aloof and nonchalant nature, in himself, he was watching with rapt attention at his father and his foe move around, the sparks of steel upon steel dancing in his field of vision. The arcs of slashes and cuts looked like a glorious piece of art in his eyes, the flashes of light that signified the two blades connecting seeming like the highlights on a painting or the glossy finish and polish of a wooden sculpture.

I never knew… 

He blinked, holding his thoughts from his scowling face. He'd never thought his father was really any good as a swordsman, but seeing him now was a revelation. It was little wonder why he was called away, but still, that latent anger he had for his father remained. He still harbored that in his heart.

 He could have refused. 

Where was he all the time, didn't he know he had a son?

His cold anger blossomed in his heart, overshadowing his surprise at his father's skill when his mother dropped to her knees beside him. He was startled by this sudden action that his train of though broke completely and he quickly turned to look at the field. He looked to see his father's foe dash forward and strike. If he wasn't already trained somewhat, he would have missed the tell-tale glints on the katana. Unlike before, the man whom Kenshin was fighting now wielded a killing katana, rather than a sakabatou. He barely heard his mother gasp in shock, along with Yahiko and the tall man, Sanosuke.

"Gatotsu!"

Kenshin's eyes widened in surprise and he jump backwards and to the side quickly, moving out of range of Junzo's Gatotsu. It was after the attack that it clicked.

_"…My former captain wasn't wrong after all"_

Kenshin's eyes narrowed once more, as he landed on his feet and looked warily at Junzo. He wouldn't be taken by surprise anymore. That one attack was all it took to snap him fully into the reality of the situation. _Junzo…_

"You're Shinsengumi, Third Division, captained by Hajime Saitou." Kenshin spoke softly, but the words were loud enough for everyone to hear it. To the side Sanosuke clenched his fist in memory of the Miburo. Junzo merely tilted his head, and momentarily cracked a smile at his foe, though that faded as quickly as it came.

"Saitou-san said you were formidable. I've yet to see much of that." He took an almost lazy step forward, causing Kenshin to back off a bit. "Come now, Himura. Fight me. 'Cause if you don't…" Junzo cast a sidelong glance at Kaoru and Kenji, than returned his gaze meaningfully to Kenshin. "I'd hate to cut off a promising swordsman's life, wouldn't you? Himura?"

"Stop it. I can't believe…" Kenshin muttered, shaking his head. His words trailed off then, and he set himself back into his battoujutsu stance. "You will _not_ harm them. Never."

Junzo nodded gravely, though the almost taunting smile remained on his lips. "Fight me then." Junzo looked at Kenshin with steel in his gaze, and was surprised at the confident and firm gaze that held his own. _Well, well…finally._ The other man smiled once more and nodded, his feet shifting and his arm rising once more. Unlike Saitou, he didn't snarl when he struck, but his attack was no less as ferocious. Indeed, to Kenshin's gaze, it seemed faster.

"Ishiki…"

The blade flashed through the space between the two as Junzo attacked swiftly with the basic attack stance of the Gatotsu techniques. The katana rushed towards Kenshin at an incredible pace, but he avoided it, twisting and spinning in a battou-jutsu to counter the sideward slash that Junzo did when the initial thrust of the Gatotsu missed. Yahiko almost smiled, remembering that Kenshin accomplished exactly the same thing with Hajime Saitou in their fight so many years ago. Junzo merely smiled at this, sensing the motions of his opponent. He avoided the head slash by continuing forward in his dash and lowering his torso. 

"Not enough, Himura!" The sakabatou screamed through the air, brushing past Junzo's trailing hair as it did so, and both swordsman quickly spun to face each other once more. Kenshin wasted no time with Junzo, and snapped his blade up and launched himself at his foe.

"Dou Ryu Sen!"

The explosion of dirt and rock caught Junzo in the burst, but his gaze remained the same. Seeing this, Kenshin aborted the attack, sensing that his opponent was ready for him. He cursed beneath his breath as he looked upon his foe. Kenshin's battle aura flared brighter, as he put himself more into the battle. "Not bad. Mizushin."

Junzo shrugged nonchalantly. "Ah, so…you're getting very serious about this fight. Very nice. Very good. Now, I will discard using the Gatotsu, as it has served its purpose of getting you to realize the full seriousness of the situation." Junzo transferred his blade back to his right hand, and held it at his side, then sheathed it.

"Himura Kenshin, master of Hitten Mitsurugi Ryuu, successor to Seijirou Hiko the Thirteenth. I, Mizushin Junzo, master of Hitten Kage Ryuu challenge you. Glory to the victor, Himura." Junzo nodded, as if saluting his foe, then returned to the battou-jutsu stance that began their battle.

Kaoru looked dumbfounded, as did Yahiko. Sanosuke shook his head and looked at the two. "Hey, I've never heard of Hitten Kage Ryuu before. You two are kendoka, do you know anything?" 

Neither could answer for a while, until Kaoru spoke up. "There is no such thing as Hitten Kage Ryuu. No such school exists, that I know of." Sano shook his head. "Then, this Junzo guy must be bluffing. But…he doesn't seem like the type to bluff, and that means…"

Yahiko finished the line for Sano. "…that Hitten Kage Ryuu is a secret school. Would Kenshin know of it?"

As it was, the redhead swordsman did not. But he merely frowned at these words. "I care not what school you use. You will lose, Mizushin."

"Perhaps. Let us try and see." Junzo spoke softly, letting the wind that swept the field as the sun disappeared carry his words. A moment of silence filled the air, then both fighter moved forward at lightning speeds. The sight vaguely reminded Sanosuke of the fight between Kenshin and Soujirou, again so long ago when both master swordsmen attacked each other with battoujutsu. In the eyes of the two fighters on the field, they could see each other's actions almost instantly. Junzo stopped himself from releasing his battoujutsu, and Kenshin faded to his right, to strike behind him with another Hitten Mitsurugi attack.

"Hitten Mitsurugi Ryuu, Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji!"

"Hitten Kage Ryuu, Kage Ryu Battou-jutsu."

The ground shuddered as time seemed to slow, with Kenshin moving beside Junzo at a high speed, the sakabatou swung in a powerful arc towards his foe's neck, similar to when he'd done earlier. However, unlike earlier, Junzo was not using Gatotsu, but his own style. The ground trembled beneath his left foot as he planted it firmly on the ground, then turned on his right to release the force of his battou-jutsu, which clashed against Kenshin's sword. The impact shook them both, as they felt the power behind both attacks. After that moment of impact, they disengaged, and spun around to face each other once more, with Kenshin once again taking the offensive. Their blades locked, and the two spun around as their swords flew at each other, trying to outdo the other in terms of sheer swordsmanship rather than special techniques. The fight drew on for a short while, before Junzo leapt back instead of blocking and attacked.

"Kage Ryu Ken."

He flicked up his blade quickly, and an arc of deadly wind and a burst of debris streaked over to when Kenshin was standing. He jumped to the side to avoid it, but was surprised when he felt the edge of the attack manage to nick his shoulder, cutting his gi. He looked back up to see Junzo perform another attack of the same type, and saw a second blast of air and exploding earth rocket towards him, which he dodged. But once more, the edge of the attack nicked him.

"Oi, Kenshin, what are you doing!? You can easily see those attacks coming, avoid them!" Yahiko shouted out at the redhead. A frown of concentration appeared on Kenshin's face, but on the fourth attack, he managed to avoid the attack fully. "There you go, much better!"

"It wasn't that easy, Yahiko." Sanosuke spoke. "Unlike the Dou Ryu Sen, or Raijuta's Izuna techniques before, this attack had a different quality to it."

"What do you mean Sano?" Kaoru proffered the question before Yahiko could speak.

"The attacks weren't linear. They weren't straight line attacks." He pointed to the paths that signified where the Kage Ryu Ken had passed through. "They curved, somehow, and very erratically as well, which makes predicting the paths of the attacks more difficult."

At this point Junzo had dashed forward, and launched a vicious close range attack on Kenshin, beginning with a powerful thrust which Kenshin avoided by leaping up high. Junzo stopped himself, struggling to overcome the momentum of his power strike and spun on his feet. His gaze met the vision of Kenshin faintly outlined against the dim silhouette of the moon on the darkening sky.

"Ryu Tsui…"

Junzo's quick hands moved to sheathe his blade as quickly as he could, and in the moment of Kenshin's attack, he pulled it out in another battou-jutsu once more.

"Kage Ryu Agaru Battou-jutsu!" The blade flashed upward, barely in time to deflect Kenshin's attack. As it was, Junzo was pushed back on his feet by the power behind the attack.

"…Sho Sen!"

Junzo twisted desperately and leaned back to feel the sakabatou flash past the tip of his nose, barely missing him by a hairsbreadth. He pushed off behind him and executed an attack of his own as he backed away.

"Kage Ryu Chikyu-Ryu Battou-jutsu!" From beneath, the blade swung upwards in the motion of a modified battou-jutsu, and returned the favor of Kenshin's Ryu Sho Sen half of his Ryu Tsui Sho Sen. The blade opened up a line in Kenshin's gi, and a thin line of red appeared, but didn't cut his flesh deeply. A trail of blood trickled down the front of his chest, beads of the crimson liquid staining his clothing. Before Kenshin could move back much more however, Junzo's saya flashed forward as its' owner continued to spin. Kenshin moved to twist away from the strike, but failed, and was sent backwards with a powerful blow that spun him around when the saya struck his face. Kenshin began to see the incredible similarities between Junzo's style and his own school of swordsmanship. He stood up and spat on the ground, staining the ground beneath him with a mix of blood and saliva. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his gi, while Junzo stood in the same position he was in when he executed his counterattack against the former-rurouni.

Kenshin shook his arm and clasped both hands on his weapon, and brought it to his side, the sakabatou's tip pointing forward. Junzo raised his weapon in front of him, readying his own attack.

"Kenshin…" Kaoru shook her head weakly.

"Ryu Sou Sen!"

"Kage-Ryu Ankoku."

Junzo quickly pulled his sheath upwards as they closed to striking range, creating an upward blast of dust and debris to cloud the space immediately in front of him. Kenshin's eyes flashed, then drew his blade in battou-jutsu. The sakabatou flashed forward, moving to hit Junzo in the chest. Seeing the strike come, he pulled back down his sheath, propelling Kenshin's battou-jutsu faster than it should have been, and shifting it off course. The katana he led at his side flashed forward then, and he smiled. The smile faded when he felt Kenshin's own saya smashing into his one-handed right-hand thrust, and that knocked his own hidden attack off course as well, to merely nick Kenshin's gi once more, but this time without drawing any blood at all. As they passed each other, that's when Junzo felt the partial blow of one more strike at his side, the tip of Kenshin's sakabatou ripping a gash in Junzo's own gi with a last-second launched slash. The blow was enough to knock him forward a few steps more than he'd intended to, and he felt the pain in his side. A small part, but still.

Both men moved forward, slowly it seemed at first, and then accelerated at starling speed. Once again, exchanging attacks that would have utterly destroyed lesser men.

"Ken—!" Both observing men cried as both fighter upon the field launched themselves at each other once more, bringing out the power of they kenjutsu styles. The battle was at that moment ended…

"Hitten Mitsurugu Ryuu, Kuzu Ryu Sen!"

_I am a shield._

"Hitten Kage Ryuu, Ten Kage-Ryu San Utsu!"

_I live, to protect._

Nine simultaneous attacks, versus the instant triangle assault.

Twelve flashes of steel lit the field, and both combatants reappeared behind each other as quickly as they vanished, their blades in their hands. A cool breeze wafted over both, sending a shiver up Sano's spine. Then Junzo turned his blade down, and plunged it into the ground to support himself as he sank slowly to his knees, gasping as he coughed up blood. 

Kenshin stood still, trembling. Three gashes appeared in his clothing, and three lines of blood appeared upon the skin of those same new gashes. On Kenshin's left shoulder, right chest, and left waist. He collapsed forward as smaller inch-sized slashed appeared all around the three main slash wounds. He fell into Sano's arms, battered and bloody as he was ever in any of his previous battles.

Kaoru stumbled forward to cradle Kenshin in her arms, drops of tears falling from her face onto his. He shook his head at her, struggling to stand up, shaking them off him. With a labored breath he took a step forward, towards Junzo. 

Then another.

And another.

Until he reached his opponent, who still knelt on the ground. The redheaded swordsman put a hand on Junzo's shoulder. "Get up. I haven't beaten you, nor you I. You know that."

Under his hand, Kenshin could feel the younger man tremble and then, much to everyone but Kenshin's surprise, began to chuckle. "Himura-san, indeed, you are formidable. Even without using your ougi, you managed to bring me to my knees. That is not a feat easy to achieve, even if I wasn't pushing my limits. But then again, neither were you, neh?" He breathed in deeply, pulling his katana out of the ground and cleaning it with a quick flick of his blade, then sheathing it in his saya. Kenshin let his hand fall from the other's shoulder as he stood, and turned around to Kenshin. "Let's see to those wounds now, shall we?"

Junzo placed his hands beside Kenshin's shoulders, and closed his eyes. Sensing what Junzo what about to do, Kenshin sheathed his own sword and stood there patiently. An unearthly glow of light began to emanate from Junzo's hands, a pale blue that enveloped both men, flashing at various points of their bodies where they'd been injured. 

Sano's eyes widened at this, and moved forward to stop him. "Hey, what the hell—!" 

Before he could take more than two steps towards the glowing pair, a katana flashed into existence along Sano's face, blocking him from taking another step forward. He turned his line of sight to meet two deadly-looking eyes. A cloud of smoke drifted past his face, blown by the man who made it. Ashes from his cigarette dropped onto the ground, the embers quickly fading from red to gray. "You don't want to interrupt them, ahou." The one who was Hajime Saitou stated coldly.

"S-S-Saitou!" Sano grit his teeth and cursed. "You bastard!"

"Aah, temper, temper, tori-atama." A chuckled filled the air, and Sano spun around to find Chou, another of his many nemeses in Japan smiling idiotically at him.

"Damn it, the broom-head is here too…"

"Maa, maa, Sano."

Those words turned his attention to its source, Kenshin, who stood in front of him with nary a sign of his wounds on him and a faint smile on his face. Sano gaped in surprise as the former-rurouni turned to face Saitou, giving the miburo a nod, and finally back to Junzo. The other swordsman had already put on his other daisho, and was walking towards him. He stopped beside Kenshin, giving the slightly smaller man a serious, yet apologetic, look.

"Himura, I know you have much to explain to your family, and friends." He turned away. "I'll be returning later on, and all will be explained. No deceptions, now."

Kenshin merely nodded, uttering a soft "Hai."

Junzo stood there for a few moments, as silence enveloped the scene. It was broken by Saitou sheathing his katana, and Chou backing away and walking off to where they'd come from at a slow pace. "Ja…" Junzo raised a hand nonchalantly as he walked off, with Saitou already walking ahead of him.

Kenshin stood there, watching Junzo's back fade into the night.

"Oi, Kenshin…" a hand was suddenly slapped on his shoulder. He didn't need to look at his side to see Sano's face draw near his shoulder. "You have a lot of explaining to do." The grip tightened.

"Oro…"

**Glossary:**

Kendoka:          Practicioners of Kendo or Kenjutsu

The Techniques I used here are my own, so if you want to see more detailed description, you can just head over to my site. ^_^

Its: http://ayce_shade.tripod.com

Thanks/End Notes 

Here it is! Not really a nice fight as I envisioned it to be though. If it really gets on me, I might edit it though. But at any rate…

**Jason M. Lee**, yes I did remember that Battousai is a proper noun. I though I'd edited that out though, but at any rate, you won't be seeing that mistake again inn the future.

**Shadowchaser**, that question will be answered in my next chapter, so just wait for it!  -_^ Hehe…


	7. Hearts of Revelation

Disclaimer: How much would it cost? Nah…or maybe I should…nah. Decisions, decisions…oh, wait, I'm still dreaming…-_-; 

**Note: This fic is AU and begins from the end of the Seissou Hen, and involves elements of established fantasy genres.**

Hearts of Revelation 

The pale moon slowly made its way through the heavens, the twinkle of stars a wondrous display against the blackness of the dark skies over Meiji Japan. Within the walls of the Kamiya Kasshin Dojo, the maelstrom of awe, disbelief, and a multitude of feelings coursed. Such feelings hid the overture of danger and shadow that lay behind them, in the mysterious man who was Mizushin Junzo. For the meantime however, such dark thoughts were gone from the front of any of the minds of the peoples within.

"I just cannot believe it, Kaoru." Megumi stared, amazed, as she examined Kaoru's body in her room. She knelt back after a few moments., then raised a hand to her face, shaking her head. "It is, all gone. Not a single trace of Ken-san or your illness remains, as far as I can tell. It has completely disappeared from your bodies." She made to stand up, slowly still shaking her head in wonder. "Amazing." Megumi looked at Kaoru more closely once more. "You look, so young, once again." The doctor smiled slightly, hiding a soft pain as she gazed once more on the younger woman. "This is a wonderful gift that you have been given, Kaoru."

Kaoru nodded, a faint smile on her once-more youthful face, but then it faded. "Perhaps. But, seeing him fight again…" she shook her head, and closed her eyes. "…brings back so many memories." She raised up her head, and fixed up her kimono, which had been opened as Megumi had examined her. "I do not wish to return to those times, that I do not." 

Megumi watched over the young woman she'd been tending for the past few days, seeing a mix of emotions flow across her face. She was changed, since the past few days, Megumi could tell. Like the woman she'd known as a mother and full-grown adult, but yet, she seemed to have regained the spirit of her youth once more. The doctor shook her head ever so slightly, the soft smile on her face changing its reasons of being there. _Kaoru…how I envy you._ She sighed softly, and turned around towards the shoji, sliding it open to reveal Tsubame standing right behind it. "Ah, Tsubame, what is it?"

The young girl's mouth opened to say something, but paused, as if hesitating. "Megumi-san, is she…?"

"Well? Yes. A miracle, isn't it? Ken-san as well…" Megumi nodded, smiling at the girl.

The other;'s face broke into a beam and she put her hands together, smiling up at Megumi. "Why, that, that's wonderful!" She turned around, her pace quickening.

"Tsubame, where are you going?" Megumi asked, as the girl moved of, stepping out the doorway and putting a hand on the shoji frame.

The girl stopped, and spun around, the smile still on her face. "I'm going to tell Tae-san, of course! Don't worry, I'll be back soon enough." 

Before Megumi could do more then open her mouth the youth ran off behind a corner. Megumi shook her head amusedly, then turned around to look back at Kaoru. She tilted her head slightly, noting the look on her friend's face. "Kaoru? What is wrong? You should be happy both you and Ken-san are well once more."

Kaoru nodded, but did not smile. "Ano…Megumi. There's something else though. That man who helped us, he was the one who fought Kenshin."

"Kenshin." Sanosuke stared up at the night sky, taking in the natural splendor that lay above him.

"Aa?" The redhead spoke softly, a faint smile on his lips, expecting the next question to come.

"You're serious, right?" Sanosuke turned his gaze down at Kenshin. The calm expression and the kind of smile that his friend gave him answered his question perfectly, and he turned his gaze back awayf rom Kenshin's face, to gaze out at the dojo's grounds. "Ten years ago, I would not have believed anything of that you know?" He lowered his face, and looked at his feet, his hands fiddling with a small twig. "Life sure changes people a lot. But yet, there are some things that don't change, eh, Kenshin."

The other man nodded. "True." He looked up at the bigger man. "Sano?"

"Yeah?" The other kept his gaze as it was.

"Arigatou."

"Tch, you shouldn't have to say that…" Sano shook his head violently, tossing the stick out into the darkness. "You've saved me from myself twice before. It's the least that I could do, Kenshin." He paused in his train of thought, looking at nothing. "It feels so weird, you know. Coming back here, and everything is the same but not. Home, but not home." A chuckle escaped from his lips. "I've changed too, I guess."

"Don't worry about it, Sanosuke. Even it has been more than ten years, I would like to say…" Kenshin smiled at his friend, "…welcome back."

"Kenshin?"

"Hai?" He smiled pleasantly at his companion.

"Don't say that, it sounds fine coming from Kaoru, but from you…" Sano shuddered.

"Oro…don't think that way!" Kenshin.

A stony silence enveloped that pair as they struggled to erase various images from their minds. Fortunately for them, the awkward moment was broken by Yahiko running up to them. "Oi, let's eat dinner!"

"Dinner?" Sano and Kenshin looked up at the boy, a confused look on their faces.

Yahiko smiled cockily. "Yup, dinner! Tsubame and Tae made a storm of a dinner in celebration of Kenshin and Kaoru's getting better, as well as you getting back,  and we're having a feast tonight!"

"All right!" Sano smiled, punching the air above him. "Its been way too damn long since I've had great Japanese food!" The two ran off at a slow run then, with Kenshin chuckling to himself as he followed at a more sedate pace. He walked around the dojo's corridors, and finally stepped into the main training room, where Tae and her husband, along with a few other old friends from the Akabeko, had set up their little banquet for the night. The bustle of people in the room was almost disconcerting, in a good way. Tae, Tsubame, a few of Kaoru's students, and other old friends. The warm feeling in his heart throbbed steadily, and the feeling of being healthy once more buoyed Kenshin's spirits higher than he'd felt since… He paused in thought, at that, realizing he'd never really felt more at peace in his whole life, and in that moment the feeling almost overwhelmed him. His life, at that moment, was almost perfect, if it was not for the enigma Junzo, and the reappearance of both Saitou and Chou. Kenshin sighed, but the smile that had appeared on his lips remained. What ever was coming, he would be facing it with a stronger spirit to live than ever, and nothing could put him down.

"Ken-san!"

He turned around to spot Megumi and Kaoru walking up to him, both dressed in their kimonos. He smiled at them both, and Kaoru blinked, noting the change in her husband's smile. Megumi however didn't, but walked into the room to leave the two behind at the entrance to the dojo. "Ken…Shinta." Kaoru spoke softly to his, standing a few bare inches from her beloved.

 "Kaoru…" Kenshin took a small step forward, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close in an embrace, smiling as he did so.

Kaoru felt the strength in his arms, and felt the warmth of her husband's closeness and embrace. She closed her eyes as her hand found their own way to hold him, and she felt herself tremble and cry. "Kenshin…Shinta."

"Don't cry now, Kaoru…it is not truly a time to shed tears." Kenshin released her, as he spoke, slightly amazed at her reaction, but calmed once he saw the expression on her face. She smiled at him, with the line of tears on her face.

"Kaoru-dono…you look better when you don't cry as you smile." Kenshin smiled at her and touched a finger to wipe the last errant tear from her face.

"Kaasan…" At this the couple turned around to see their teenage soon standing by the doorway, looking at his mother. "Kaasan, its time to eat. Everyone is waiting." 

Kaoru nodded and turned to Kenshin, who was staring at his son. Kaoru beamed and took her husband's arm. "Aa…let's go, neh?"

Kenshin nodded, and they stepped past their son and into the room, where their friends greeted them, first of which was Tae, and her husband who stood a step behind was he watched the two women embrace each other. Kenshin let his wife slip from his side as she did so, and turned to look once more at Kenji. "Kenji…"

The youth nodded, a tightened expression on his face as he struggled to reply. "T-tousan." Kenshin hadn't really noticed the struggle it took for Kenji to say those words now, delighted by the mere fact that his son still accepted him as his father.

Kenshin smiled fully and raised a hand to pat his son's head, and rested the hand on the boy's shoulder. "Kenji…" With a soft grunt of affirmation, Kenji walked by, letting his father's hand slip from his shoulder.

The room was a chaotic storm of laughter and smiles, for the most part though, with many faces. Tsubame chatted with Suzume and Ayame, who were young teenagers not much older than Kenji, just fresh coming out from adolescence. Yahiko on the other hand, was speaking to his one-time rival, Yutarou, who was an assistant master in the dojo, second to Yahiko himself. On one side, Sanosuke was happily startled with meeting his younger brother, one of the dojo's students, with Megumi watching on in amusement. Kenji barely noticed all this as he stalked off to the side, and seated himself off away from the bulk of the people. The night drew on, and he kept mostly to himself. He still watched on, as his father and mother smiled, laughing a little as he conversed with his friends.

Ugh… 

Wordlessly, Keji picked himself up from the floor and made his way out of the room. He left the dojo main room and walked out silently into the garden of the dojo, making his way over to a small wooden bench beneath a tree. He sat down on it, looking over the small pool. A small waterfall-like construct of bamboo allowed the water to make a soft sound as it splashed onto the small pond. Kenji sighed, the turmoil of emotions in his mind troubling him. He slumped into the contours of the bench, gazing on the moon's reflection on the rippling pond.

"Kenji-kun?" A feminine voice called out to him, softly.

Kenji turned around to spot a young woman behind him, and the expression on his face softened. "Oh, its you…what do you want?"

She walked over to him, and hesitantly took a seat on his bench. "Ano…I was just wondering, why you're out here by yourself. Especially since it's a party for your parents."

Kenji shrugged. "Yeah, it is. I just like being alone, I suppose." He turned to look at her. "You shouldn't bother yourself about me, Chizuro. Go on." He faced the moonlight again.

She didn't move though, keeping her gaze on the pond. "No, I don't mind. To be honest, I felt that it was a bit crowded inside."

Kenji shrugged. "Mmm, I see. Well, you can stay here with me then, I guess." His voice grew softer at the end of his words. The air around them grew silent, save for the soft rush of water and the breath of the wind as it rustled to branches above them.

Not too far away, Yahiko watched the two sit quietly by the pond, a faint smile on his face. "What do you think of them, Tsubame?" The young woman at his side, who was at the moment leaning slightly against Yahiko smiled at the romantic sight.

"Kawaii…" she whispered.

Yahiko chuckled softly at her word, and raised his hand to rest it on her far shoulder, in effect putting an arm on her. "Let's leave the two for now then. I don't think they would appreciate it if someone was watching."

"True…" Tsubame smiled, looking up at Yahiko. "I know you didn't, neh, Yahiko-kun?"

The shihondai smiled, a slight red tint appearing on his face. "Neither did you, you know…"

The girl merely smiled up at him, and raised a hand to hold Yahiko's hand on her shoulder.

It was more then two hours later when the party ended, and their guests began to leave, until only their closer friends remained. Tae and Kaede left the last, excluding those of the former Kenshin-gumi. "I'll hope you visit the Akabeko again, Kaoru." Tae smiled pleasantly, bowing slightly at her friend.

"We will, don't worry about that." Kaoru replied cheerily.

Kenshin watched on while his wife handled the goodbyes, something he wasn't particularly good in. Sano stepped up behind Kenshin then and rested a hand on the older man's shoulder. Or was the other younger now? No, Kenshin was still older, by a margin. He hoped. It was just too weird if Sano was the older one now, now that that Junzo guy screwed up their ages, and whatnot.

"Kenshin. Its getting late." He did not need to speak the question that was in his mind.

"Aa, yes it is." The redhead nodded and turned around, as Sano let his hand fall from Kenshin's shoulder. "They should be here soon. Very soon."

By the time he and Sano had stopped talking, Tae and her husband had left through the dojo's front doors, a few others carrying away the last of the things Tae had brought over from the Akabeko. Kaoru waved at them as they vanished, then lowered her hand and turned to Kenshin. She reached his side when he said, "They're here."

Kaoru looked puzzled at this, and asked, "Who is here?" Sano merely nodded, acknowledging what Kenshin had said. Kenshin noted Sano's reaction, and smiled to himself. _Sanosuke. You've gotten stronger now. I wonder, how much so?_

"Kenshin…!" Yahiko had called out, his voice clipped as he slid open the shoji of the dojo training room. Kenshin and Sano moved fluidly, Kaoru trailing behind her husband, her face an expression of slight fear and confusion. This was dispelled the moment that they entered, to see two tall figures inside. One released a cloud of smoke, fiery embers flying in the slight draft that wafted inside. The other merely stood, a stoic expression on his face as he watched, not hostile, yet not truly friendly. Kenshin nodded, a smile on his face as he greeted the two men, one clad in the dark blue of the police uniform, the other in a clothing reminiscent of those worn during the Bakumatsu.

"Ah, Hajime, Mizushin." Kenshin nodded. The welcoming response not reciprocated bySaitou. 

"Good evening, Himura-san." Junzo bowed slightly, paying respect to the two masters of the house. The former Shinsengumi captain gave Junzo a look. The other noticed it, but didn't react any more than flickering his eyes to the other. He straightened then, and put a hand on his daisho. "I hope you do not mind, neh?"

Kenshin shook his head. "Iie. Weapons in this house are a common thing. Are they not, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin turned to his wife, who was standing beside him with a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I suppose not." She whispered.

A brief silence enveloped everyone, before Junzo broke it. "Well then, I assume that you all have many questions for me. I will explain what needs to be said, and once I'm done, you can ask me questions, all right? Please, let us sit, if we may?" Junzo gestured at the floor. "It may be a bit, before we stand once more."

Almost wordlessly, they did. On one side, were Junzo and Saitou, one the other were the rest. Saitou's eyes narrowed. "Only for those already involved, thank you." 

Sano shrugged, and turned around to look at Outa. "Oi, Outa." He grinned and winked. "Get lost." The younger borther was about to complain, when he saw the glint in his older brother's eyes. He shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "Ummm, okay." At this point Yahiko put his hand on Tsubame's shoulder, as he was still standing along with her, and Yutarou.

"Yutarou, take Tsubame home." The seriousness in the senior trainer's voice startled Yutaruou, who merely nodded. The other took a few steps, leading him outside. Tsubame turned to follow, but Yahiko restrained her. "Tsubame." She stopped, and looked into his eyes. "Take care, all right?"

She looked down at the floor, and then back up, a sad smile on her face. She was no fool, and both of them knew it. There were few reasons Yahiko would say such words, and in this scenario. "I will. I'll wait for you, Yahiko-chan."

Yahiko dropped his gaze. "Drop that, Tsubame." She merely smiled at him, and left. He straightened after a moment, and turned back to the small gathering, where Junzo was beginning to explain already.

"Well now, let us get started shall we?" Junzo clapped his hands together, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Where to start? Perhaps, the first question I should answer is, who am I really? Mmm?"

"That would be helpful." Kenshin nodded, seemingly being one of the few who were calm on his side.

Junzo nodded. "All right. Who am I? To start, I'll say that, yes, I truly am named Mizushin Junzo. My reference to Hajime-san here—" he glanced at Saitou, "—was true. In a sense, he was a former captain to me, in the Shinsengumi. However, you never fought me back then. You never really saw me either."

Kenshin nodded. "That would make sense, since I'd have recognized you earlier if I had."

"Well, yes. My age is, like yours, changed, somewhat. Although, I would still be young, even if I hadn't undergone the deaging process. You see, I was like Okita-kun back in the war, a so-called genius of the sword. However, unlike Okita, I was a small child at the time, and was not allowed to participate in any of the battles, despite the fact they considered me as good as, if not better, than any of the unranked Shinsengumi. I resented that, and left Kyoto. I disappeared from their sight, quite surprisingly, but perhaps that was because of the arrival of a man, the one who was called Battousai. That distracted them quite a lot, during that time. And they did not send anyone after me. I was not to find out why, until I met up with Hajime-san here many years later."

Junzo looked at Sano evely. "And yes, my story is true. Everything. This includes what I've told Himura-san here and his wife about Shishio Makoto, and ridiculous it may sound. But the evidence is here, they are healed. And they saw what beasts came after them. There is no more proof needed than that." Sano's mouth worked, wondering how Junzo knew what he was about to ask. Junzo merely smiled at the man's slight surprise. 

Suddenly, another thought popped into Sano's mind. "Hey, where's Chou?"

Saitou blew another cloud of smoke from his lips. "Chou? I sent him on a little errand. Otherwise, me and Junzo would have to be dealing with some uninvited guests on the way home"

Sano frowned at this, wondering who would actually trouble Saitou and Junzo, seeing as they were already intimidation to see with their blades. At least, intimidating to lesser men than those present.

Not too far away, Chou sneezed. "Where did that come from?" He frowned, and looked back at the small squarish thing in his left hand. On it were three small dots of red, hovering over the small device. "They're near." He quickly put the artifact into his pocket and pulled out his favored weapon, his Hakujin no Tachi, the sword-whip. After so many years of fighting, even if it was on the side of the Meiji government, he'd trained hard and long, and fought just as much. His senses and abilities were superior to what he was so long ago.

Good thing about that too… 

His eyes whipped around from side to side, his senses alert and already feeling the presence of his opponents. A roar of malicious intent reached his ears, and he quickly spun around to see a shadowy humanoid beast leap out at him, claws bared. "Tch!" With a quick twist and snap, his blade snapped back and cut neatly into the hide of the Shadowfang. It dropped on the ground, the tint of its blood staining the ground as it clutched its neck. "Not enough to kill you just yet, huh?"

A flicker at his side told him of where the one of the other two were. He ducked down low; just enough to feel another of the featureless beasts pounced through the space he was just in. _Close. But it's always close._ He smiled, his open palm hitting the ground and providing him with the support he needed to deliver a powerful attack at the beast that was passing over him. His blade hissed in response when he pulled in over him, and slashed into its lower abdomen, then cut straight up towards its face. The rest of Chou's blade finished it off as the rest cut further into the moving body until the weapon halved it completely in two, from skull down the length of its spine.  The two halves dropped as dead weights on the ground, the internal organs of the creature spilling along with its blood, the crimson liquid quickly creating a gory puddle on the ground.

Spatters of the decidedly acidic blood stained Chou's uniform, causing the man to grumble as he rose once again to spot the last of the three charging straight at him. He whipped his weapon around once again, and ripped the last into pieces to join its brethren that lay dead on the ground. A shadow above him reminded him of the last one, the one he hadn't killed yet. A focused expression revealed itself on Chou's face as he moved to grab and draw his wakizashi at his side to defend himself. The small blade caught the claws of the beast, and snapped them with the force the swordsman put behind his counterslash, ripping the shadowfang's hand into two pieces, blood flowing from the gaping wound like a small river.

This is over… 

"Next thing, I think for Himura-san is the question—" this time referring to Kaoru, "—what is the school of Hitten Kage Ryuu, neh?" 

"Indeed, that is so." Kaoru nodded. "I've never heard of such a school before, and I believe I'm quite knowledgeable in this topic."

"Neither did you know about Hitten Mitsurugi Ryuu, before. But, I'm not ridiculing you." Junzo pointed out, when he noticed the blush on Kaoru's face. He leaned back a bit, before continuing. "Hitten Kage Ryuu was a style created during the Sengoku period, like Hitten Mitsurugi Ryuu. It is one generation younger than Hitten Mistsuruigi however, because the style was made by Seijirou Hiko the Second, master of Hitten Mitsurugi. He found that the power of Hitten Mitsurugi was superior to almost all other styles, and since the practitioners of it were far fewer, they tended to be even better. With this foresight, he made in secret the style of Hitten Kage Ryuu with the one man that defeated him in his days. But what I know is that with that man's help, they made Hitten Kage Ryuu, the brother style to Hitten Mitsurugi. This man became the first Master of Hitten Kage Ryuu, and we call him the Nameless Master. By we, I mean the practitioners of Hitten Kage. Hitten Kage is said to be the power that would stop Hitten Mitsurugi if the wielders of that art ever used their powers for injustice. As long as there was reasoning behind the wielders of that blade, the masters of Hitten Kage Ryuu would not interfere, and remain, as the name, in the shadows.

"However, it was not meant to be. We slowly died off, one by one, the masters of the art, due to the same sickness you once had, Himura. During the end of the Bakumatsu, their numbers, always few, had become lesser. One of them found me, and he taught me all he knew. He was the most powerful of those that remained. He died soon after, and now I am the only one remaining. He said that that was the curse of Hitten Kage, and that to wield it one had to reach a certain level of strength. They believe this is so, because the greatest masters of our style never fell to such a sickness. By which I mean, the Nameless Master, and his first heir. Until me, they have been the only ones in our history to have wielded it and not died."

Junzo shook his head. "I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't bore you."

"Hardly, Junzo." Kenshin waved a hand. "This little story has been quite eye-opening for me. But now, I have a question. Why did you have to play so much, and fight me like so a while ago?"

Junzo chuckled. "Ah, there is little time. I needed to get you to rebound back to your full strength as soon as possible. According to Hajime-san here, that was the most effective was."

"Don't look at me like that, Battousai. You know the truth, and don't deny it." The man returned the look Kenshin gave him with a glare.

Kenshin sighed, turning his gaze from Saitou back to Junzo. "Hai…that is true. However, I still do not really appreciate what you did. But I can understand, at least."

Junzo nodded, a slight show of relief on his face. "Himura-san, truly, I apologize for my actions once again. I know these words are painful. You never really gave me an answer, hence I must say them." Junzo bowed on the dojo floor, still his sitting, cross-legged position. "Himura-san, your help is needed once more. For one last time."

The silence that met Junzo's statement was palpable. However, the younger swordsman kept his position, his head on the wooden dojo floor despite this. Kenshin looked upon the bowed form of Junzo with surprise. _Mizushin Junzo. Even when you explain who you are to us, I doubt that any of us understand who you truly are. However, there are a few things I can detect from you, the only I am sure of…_ Kenshin smiled and reached out a hand to rest on Junzo's shoulder. The other's face rose slowly from the ground.

_Pride,_

"Get up, Mizushin-san." Kenshin spoke steadily, a faint smile on his face. The other did so in a smooth manner, and straightened. Despite the pride he could sense in the man, he had actually bowed to seek Kenshin's help. 

_Duty,_

Junzo looked into Kenshin's eyes evenly now, a calm and resolute look in those orbs of silver-blue that sparkled with a light he hadn't seen in anyone else's, save for two youths. Yahiko, and his own son.

_Honor,_

The eyes of fighters. Kenshin's smile grew ever so slightly. 

"Himura-san." Junzo uttered the name with a slight degree of confusion.

_And that is all I need to see from you._

"Junzo, when you leave, there are those here who shall walk with you on this path. But, for now, I will not give my answer." Kenshin's eyes closed. "I am sorry, but I need to see this other place first. Only then, shall I give my answer."

Junzo nodded, seemingly satisfied with the former-rurouni's answer. "Very well then. When we leave, we shall do so the day after tomorrow, I shall keep my half of the bargain which I promised you of." Kenshin's eyebrows furrowed, then his eyes widened, as he remembered one of their earlier conversations. Junzo stood up slowly, to follow Saitou, who had already gotten up the moment he heard Kenshin's reply. Junzo turned and walked towards the open shoji, leaving those of the Kenshin-gumi behind.

He paused as he reached the edge of the doorway, and put a hand on the shoji frame, turned and gave Kenshin a smirk. "You've earned to right to know the Dragon's Soul, Himura Kenshin. You will not die of Hitten Mitsurugi's power. Goodbye, for now."

Kenshin stood up and walked out to see Saitou don his police cap and speak sternly to Junzo, who replied with a calm smile. Most of the others stood as well, their thoughts on the few, but insightful, pieces of knowledge varying greatly. Kaoru wrapped her arms around Kenshin, and rested her head on his back. Kenshin shook his head a bit, and raised a hand to touch her arm

"Time for bed, Shinta." Kaoru spoke softly into Kenshin's ears.

A sad smile crossed his lips. "Shinta. Kenshin. I just want to rest for tonight, Kaoru-dono." Kaoru nodded, and loosened her embrace. "Let's go, koishii." He smiled warmly at her. "I'm looking forward to that rest."

A few short moments later, the husband and wife could hear a few shouts coming from the vicinity of the dojo. Yahiko's voice it seemed. "OI! What the hell are you still doing here for Yutarou! Outa! Kenji!"

"Run! Yahiko-chan's mad!"

"N-nani!? Yahiko-CHAN!?"

The rumble of a few sets of feet running around reached their ears.

A deeper voice joined in after a moment. "Oi, YAHIKO-CHAN, you're getting slow on your feet aren't you?"

"Oi, shut up, you rotten chickenhead!"

The crash of noise increased.

"Oro…"

**Glossary:**

Common Japanese terms only.

Thanks/End Notes 

I was thinking of making this chapter a bit longer, but decided not to. I almost ran into a writer's-block (Oh my Kami-sama!) but fortunately, Chou's little scene pulled me out of it. ^_^ Hope you didn't mind, neh?

**JML**, counter-school is right. See above, eh? And don't worry about Kenji, he's going to get over it in this fic sometime onwards.

**Crystal**, thanks for reading!

**Shadow Chaser**, here's another little glimpse of Chou, hope you like it since you seem to like the guy. And Junzo is mysterious, yes…a bit of an understatement really, since he's also got so many different layers of thinking and the way he acts is seemingly chaotic, as you can see by comparing his roles from chapter to chapter.

**Test**, as you can see here, Junzo's explaining. That should cover your question. ^_^

**ILOVEHIKO**, you'll likely be seeing our beloved Shishou somewhere, but I'm having a bit of a time trying to integrate some other characters into my story. -_-;

At any rate, that's all for now people! Remember, R&R!


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